Arsenal's Jack Wilshere and Chelsea's Josh McEachran will be rivals in this season's Premier League title race, but together the teenage duo represent the future of English football.
Although they have only made 45 Premier League starts between them, Wilshere and McEachran are already being hailed as a new breed of English midfielder with the ability to fuse the country's traditional qualities of tenacity and energy with a more cerebral approach.
The blueprint has been provided by Barcelona's Xavi and Andres Iniesta, the diminutive playmakers who proved that size isn't everything by taking central roles in their club's dominance of domestic and European football, as well as inspiring Spain to World Cup glory.
Wilshere and McEachran possess the same slender frames as their Spanish counterparts and both show signs of being equally adapt with a ball at their feet.
It was Wilshere who burst onto the scene first, giving a tantalising glimpse of his potential with Arsenal last season.
The 19-year-old convinced Fabio Capello that he could be the fulcrum of his England team with an astonishingly mature display in Arsenal's Champions League second round first leg victory over Barcelona last season.
Wilshere may miss the start of the season due to an ankle injury but, with Cesc Fabregas still desperate to leave Arsenal, he is likely to be given more responsibility by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger over the course of the campaign.
Capello is sure he is up to the task.
"It is incredible. In the last few months he improved a lot," he said. "Everyone can understand his value after the games against Barcelona."
McEachran has only one Premier League start to his name and just 17 career appearances, yet he has done enough in that short time to convince many astute judges that he has the ability to follow Wilshere's rapid rise to prominence.
The 18-year-old idolised Zinedine Zidane when he first fell in love with the game and he plays with an elegance that suggests those hours watching the Frenchman on television were time well spent.
McEachran, who recently signed a five-year contract worth £30,000-a-week, rightly avoids any comparisons with Zidane but he is happier to name his pal Wilshere as the perfect figure to emulate.
"We speak quite a lot and text each other," McEachran said. "We say good luck before we play.
"I watch most of his games, see how he's doing, and give him encouragement. We've got similar abilities but Jack's a year or so ahead of me.
"Jack's one of the best young players in the world. He's done really well. Hopefully I can do what he's done."
At Arsenal, Wenger's ability to turn raw talents into world-class performers has never been in question and he hopes Wilshere, midfielder Aaron Ramsey, 20, left-back Kieran Gibbs, 21, and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, 21, will play with a maturity that belies their tender years as Arsenal try to end a six-year trophy drought.
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish also has high hopes for his crop of youngsters, with defenders Martin Kelly, 21, John Flanagan, 18, and Jack Robinson, 17, all impressing towards the end of last season.
Sir Alex Ferguson loves to work with young talent at Manchester United, but has often had to buy in his best rookies in recent years.
This season is no different and David De Gea, a 20-year-old from Atletico Madrid, will replace Edwin van der Sar in goal, while Phil Jones, 19, arrives from Blackburn as the future of Ferguson's defence.
Other young guns who could make a name for themselves this season include Aston Villa winger Marc Albrighton, Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge and Everton midfielder Ross Barkley.
Source: AFP
