Manchester City vs Chelsea: 5 super talents set to shine in FA Youth Cup final
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Chelsea travel to Manchester City 's Academy Stadium tonight for the first leg of their FA Youth Cup final.
It is the third consecutive time the clubs have faced off for the biggest prize in English youth football - Chelsea winning 5-2 in 2015 and 4-2 in 2016 on aggregate - and Jody Morris' side will be aiming for the club's sixth triumph in just eight years.
With a new pair of eyes in charge of first team affairs now in Antonio Conte, players will be keen to impress in a bid to join the first team for pre-season this summer. City, too, have an exceptional set-up and will look to Pep Guardiola to utilise the exciting pool of talent at his disposal.
There will be an array of talent involved over both games and fans will have an opportunity to glimpse the stars of the future - here are five of them to look out for:
Trevoh Chalobah
(Photo: Getty Images Europe)
The younger brother of first team player Nathaniel Chalobah, Trevoh is emerging as a real leader at the back for Morris' side.
Look for Chalobah to play the David Luiz role in the 3-4-3 formation: specifically when City drop off, the Sierra Leone-born talent will step up and look to play long, arching passes into his team-mates' feet.
Tall, strong and powerful, this could very well be the centre-back England have been missing since the golden age.
Perhaps his most unique quality is the manner in which he will charge forward once he has neatly sidestepped a challenge or two before feeding the ball out wide to launch a counter-attack.
Chalobah will then drive forward in hope of receiving the a return ball or offering a presence inside the penalty area for crosses.
Jadon Sancho
(Photo: Daily Mirror)
A left winger with incredibly quick feet, Jadon Sancho has transitioned well from London to Manchester City's academy and is already training with the first team under the watchful eye of Guardiola.
You can immediately see the influence from Neymar by the way he attacks opposing full-backs. Though Sancho is always looking to work it back on to his right, the speed at which he is able to role the ball back on to his left and spin in behind makes him a nightmare for defenders.
"When I get the ball one v one position, I always think how can I beat him," Sancho told City's official YouTube channel. "I'll just tease him, keep on the ball and run alongside him and wait until he sticks a leg in. I know when a full-back likes pressing me or standing off me, which gives me an advantage."
Phil Foden
(Photo: West Bromwich Albion FC)
At the heart of Lee Carsley's midfield, Foden is happiest when spraying passes with his wonderful left foot.
Breaking the lines with perfectly-weighted through balls, but also eager to carry the ball forward when afforded space, much like Jack Wilshere.
Foden will look to combine with Sancho when he comes off the left wing, with the key to stopping City likely to come from stopping the Stockport-born starlet feeding his team-mate in behind.
When City are purring, it's Foden at the heart of it and when on song, he's one of the most enjoyable young players in English football.
Mason Mount
(Photo: CameraSport)
It will be fascinating over the two legs who controls the middle of the pitch and Mount could rival Foden to influence the tie most in this area.
Right-footed, though comfortable enough to strike at goal with his weaker left, Mount glides across the turf in a way unseen in English football for quite some time with shades of Adam Lallana to his game.
When the level increases, often the difference can be bravery to receive the possession under pressure and Mount almost enjoys being fed the ball with opponents on his case. A low centre of gravity and comfort to turn off either foot in possession mean his style is more entwined with Spanish football.
Dujon Sterling
(Photo: Getty Images Europe)
Sterling is versatile and can play all along the right side and will certainly be compared with Victor Moses by first team boss Antonio Conte when watching the 17-year-old closely.
One of the quickest players of his age over five meters, Sterling is able to expertly slow or stop his run before accelerating past opponents with a subtle changes of direction, usually by dropping his left shoulder.
Sterling seems to enjoy the defensive side of the game too and smartly tracks the left winger, even when the action is on the opposite side of the pitch to strongly defend the back post.
The first leg of the FA Youth Cup final, Manchester City vs Chelsea, is live on ITV4 from 7:30pm on Tuesday April 18.