10 uncapped players to watch out for during the international break
Ahead of the first international break of the new season, we have picked out 10 uncapped players to keep an eye on over the next two weeks.
Richarlison (Everton) – Brazil
Originally left out of Tite’s squad for upcoming friendlies against USA and El Salvador, Everton star Richarlison has been handed his first Brazil call-up as an injury replacement for Fluminense forward Pedro. Richarlison has exceeded expectations for Everton since making a shock £40m move from Watford over the summer, but showed his naivety after being shown a straight red card for violent conduct on his third appearance for the club. Nevertheless, the 21-year-old has scored three goals in as many appearances this season, winning the WhoScored Man of the Match award on two occasions.
Mbaye Diagne (Kasimpasa) – Senegal
Kasimpasa are shock leaders in the Turkish Super Lig, winning their first four matches. It’s unlikely they will sustain their run but it’s been a refreshing development in a league dominated by three or four teams. Mbaye Diagne has been integral to Kasimpasa’s stunning start and will enter the international break full of confidence. The 26-year-old has scored six goals in four games, winning the WhoScored Man of the Match award on two occasions. Since joining Kasimpasa at the start of the year, Diagne has scored 18 goals in 21 league appearances.
Giovanni Simeone (Fiorentina) – Argentina
Giovanni Simeone will be looking to follow in his father’s footsteps when Argentina play Guatemala and Colombia during the international break. Diego Simeone, now manager of Atletico Madrid, made over 100 caps for La Albiceleste and now his 23-year-old son is primed to make his own bow. They will be the first father-son combination to represent Argentina since former Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron and his father, Juan Ramon. Only three Serie A players have garnered a higher WhoScored rating than Simeone this season (7.95).
Kai Havertz (Leverkusen) - Germany
Germany are already casting their eye to the next generation after being eliminated from the group stages of the 2018 World Cup. Leroy Sane was controversially omitted from their World Cup squad but will surely be an instrumental player for them going forward. Joachim Low will also use this international break to get a close look at Bayer Leverkusen teenager Kai Havertz. The 19-year-old has scored or assisted 20 Bundesliga goals since August 2016 and looks a real talent. Capable of playing in a variety of positions, in midfield and attack, Havertz versatility could really appeal to Low. Even being deployed in a defensive midfield role for Leverkusen’s opening two league games this season, he has demonstrated an ability to defend, averaging four tackles per game - only two Bundesliga players are managing more. Use Scoring and Soaring to find out how countries like Germany have performed at major tournaments in the past and whether their shock exit at the 2018 World Cup is cause for concern.
Krzysztof Piatek (Genoa) – Poland
Like Diagne, Genoa striker Krzysztof Piatek has also made a fine start to the new season. The 23-year-old enjoyed a stunning debut for the Serie A side, netting four goals in a Coppa Italia victory over Serie B side Leece. The Polish striker has also found the back of the net in Genoa’s first two league games, scoring three goals in the process. Given Roberto Lewandowski turned 30 last month, Poland will be glancing towards the future and desperately hoping they can unearth a suitable long-term replacement for the Bayern Munich star. If Piatek's start to the season is anything to go by, Poland's search may be a brief one.
Sergio Oliveira (Porto) - Portugal
After playing an instrumental part for Portugal’s U21s at the European Championships in 2015, many would have predicted Sergio Oliveira to be a fully-fledged Portugal international by now. Portugal were losing finalists to Sweden three years ago and Oliveira finished the tournament as the second highest WhoScored rated player (7.96). Things haven’t gone to plan since then and the Porto midfielder, now 26, has been forced to be patient for first-team opportunities at club level. He only made 19 league appearances last season but has started Porto’s first four games this term, garnering a WhoScored rating of 7.43. Only Edson (19) has won more tackles than Oliveira (15) in Liga NOS this season, while only Porto team-mates Vincent Aboubakar and Otavio (both 5) have won possession in the attacking third more times than Oliveira (4).
Matias Vargas (Velez Sarsfield) - Argentina
Interim Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni will use the upcoming international break to look at some new faces, with the likes of Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero given time off. 21-year-old Matias Vargas is one of those that will hope to catch the eye after posting some impressive numbers over the last two years in the Argentine Superliga. The Velez Sarsfield winger is yet to get going this season, but has shown immense promise at his tender age. In fact, only Cristian Pavon (11) provided more assists than Vargas (10) in the Superliga last season. Furthermore, only Ignacio Pussetto (86) completed more dribbles than Vargas (76). In addition to that, Vargas has completed at least twice as many through balls than any other Superliga player since the start of last season (14).
Frenkie de Jong (Ajax) – Netherlands
Heavily linked with a move to Barcelona this summer, Frenkie de Jong opted against a move away from boyhood club Ajax after emerging as a real star in the last 12 months. The 21-year-old provided seven assists in 22 league appearances last season, completing 91.4% of his passes. Not only that, but of the 133 Eredivisie players that have attempted at least 25 dribbles since the start of last season, De Jong has the best success rate (93.8%). It would be a surprise if De Jong didn't make a high profile move in the next 12 months.
Marco Benassi (Fiorentina) – Italy
Fiorentina’s fine start to the new campaign has culminated in more international recognition for star midfielder Marco Benassi. The 23-year-old has twice sat on the bench for Italy in the past but will hope to go one better in upcoming matches against Ukraine and USA. As touched upon earlier, there was only one player that scored a higher WhoScored rating than Sergio Oliveira at the U21 European Championships in 2015 and that was Benassi (8.08). His start to the season has been impressive to say the least, netting three times in Fiorentina’s opening two games and garnering the highest WhoScored rating in Serie A (8.48). He only netted five times in 35 league matches last season and is already within touching distance within the first month of the new campaign. Italy have struggled with the make-up of their midfield in recent years and Benassi has a good chance to force his way into the reckoning.
Lucas Paqueta (Flamengo) - Brazil
Like Argentina, Tite is stretching his resources this month and has given opportunities to some of the hottest young talents coming out of Brazil. Lucas Paqueta has enjoyed a stunning campaign for Brazilian giants Flamengo, even earning the highest WhoScored rating in the Brasileirao this season at the age of 21 (7.78). The central midfielder has scored six goals and provided one assist from 20 matches and won the WhoScored Man of the Match award on four occasions. Of players aged 23 and under in the Brasileirao this season, only Matheus Fernandes (62) has completed more tackles than Paqueta (56), while also ranking top for attempts on goal (61). He’s been fouled more times than any player aged 23 or under, while also featuring in the top five for dribbles completed (41).
