Emmanuel Mayuka     21     Striker     Young Boys

Coming along rather nicely actually. Mayuka might not be as familiar a name as many others on this list, but the Zambian striker may well change that with his next move with several teams sensibly sending scouts to check on his progress. This is a young striker already with the knack of scoring for both club and country, and despite being a long way from the finished article, he is showing signs that he could have a very bright future indeed.

While fitting the powerfully built, athletic African striker stereotype that seems to exist, Mayuka does so at no cost to ability or speed. Predominantly right-footed, Mayuka will have to work on his left if he wants to make it at a higher level.  At 21, he has plenty of time.

One of the key requirements for any young striker is to play at a level that allows both time in the first team and plenty of opportunities to score.  Forwards need to sharpen their act while banking a huge amount of self confidence and belief.  Mayuka is currently enjoying both pre requisites and quietly embarking on a career destined for bigger things.

His next move is key, sooner or later clubs of a higher stature than Young Boys will be sniffing around a potential bargain. He will need to work on his game with his back to goal and turn that left foot into more than a swinger, but you can thank IBWM in the future if you find yourself ‘in the know’ about the striker picked up for a song now doing well in Spain, France, Russia, Germany or England.

“I think it’s always a positive thing to YouTube a young striker and see lots of goals, it’s always worrying to see videos of near misses and posts struck and not much else, Mayuka has scored at all levels and his all round game is far better than many his age, a really good prospect flying under the radar at the moment” – Dave Hartrick (IBWM)

C     Ticking along nicely, work on that left foot and we'll see you again in twelve months....if not sooner.