World Cup: Five overlooked under-23 players to look out for

Giovani Lo Celso

The young midfielder has been one to benefit from Jorge Sampaoli’s appointment as Argentina manager. He is a rare mix because he is creatively gifted, but also able to recycle possession and break up opposition attacks.

This has naturally attracted Sampaoli, who has given him a central midfield role, which suits him. However, there will be plenty of competition for places, so he isn’t guaranteed a start.

Lo Celso was significantly involved in PSG’s season as they won a domestic treble, but were unable to get past the Round of Sixteen in the Champions League.

Unai Emery opted to use him as a defensive midfielder against Real Madrid, which wasn’t the best idea. However, he has spent the majority of the season slightly further forward with impressive results.

He averaged 90.3% pass accuracy as well as 1.4 dribbles in the league, and scored four goals while also creating three.

He seems to suit Sampaoli’s high energy, pressing approach with a lot of movement off the ball when they are in possession. This fluidity requires positional intelligence as well as the ability to thread balls through compact defences.

The 22-year-old is more than capable at doing both of these. His five national team appearances have all come under Sampaoli, so he clearly sees a role for him in the team.