Investing in youth is all the rage nowadays. Most clubs’ hierarchies – including those at board level – operate with the belief that setting up for the future is the best plan of action, with the overall age of squads getting younger and younger as the years go on.

Europe’s top clubs, from the Premier League to the Bundesliga, have scouts stationed in all corners of the globe, all on the lookout for the shiniest new star, and there is often a tug of war between a myriad of said teams for a rising starlet’s signature.