#ian-maatsen

#ian-maatsen

Cora coming in, she deserves her chance. She has been a proven goalscorer the last number of years and she has worked really hard. I am really delighted for her and if she gets her opportunity, I am sure she will grab it with both hands.

Milan management have invested quite a lot of money into talents for the future, with recent arrivals like Alphadjo Cissè and Andrej Kostic.

Aaron Ramsey made his international debut for Wales against Denmark at just 17, having only started 11 league matches for Cardiff, showcasing his immense potential early on.

Kennet Eichhorn is currently enjoying a breakthrough campaign with Hertha in Bundesliga 2, where he has already made 13 appearances, showcasing maturity well beyond his years.

Barcelona are continuing to push forward with their long-term recruitment strategy, and another young name has now emerged as a priority. According to SPORT, the Catalan club is moving closer to finalising a deal for highly rated Dutch defender Ruud Nijstad. The pursuit of Nijstad, who currently plays for FC Twente, fits perfectly into Barcelona's recent approach in the market. Rather than focusing solely on immediate first-team reinforcements, the club has prioritised strengthening their youth structure with players who can grow into senior roles over time.

Bayern will be reactive in the transfer market when it comes to signing a center-back. A lot will depend on what happens with Kim Min-jae. The Bavarian club is open to listening to adequate offers for the South Korean defenders. He was heavily linked with several clubs in January, but the former Napoli center-back feels settled in Munich and wants to fight for game time.

Koni De Winter is heading for his fifth start in the last six games, and although there were concerns initially, the former Genoa man has grown into his role. Ahead of the January window, more specifically after the games against Sassuolo and Napoli (Supercoppa), there was a lot of discussion about the centre-back position at Milan. De Winter, who arrived for around €20m in the summer, hadn't exactly impressed at that point.

Jacob Devaney is a son of football, one of those young players born where they were simply because of where their father was playing the game at the time. The Manchester United Under-21s captain is a Yorkshireman by dint of his father, former Birmingham City and Coventry City youth player Martin Devaney, playing for Barnsley in 2007. Now 18, Devaney joined United when he was six years of age.

Michael Carrick may have won it all with Manchester United as a player, but he came from humble beginnings. The classy former midfielder, who played 464 times for the Red Devils in an illustrious career, was appointed as the club's interim manager until the end of the season earlier this week. But a video showing a teenaged Carrick making his way as a youth footballer in the North East highlights the remarkable journey he has been on.