Sancho, Haaland and Mbappe form mouth-watering front three in U21 XI

Here we run through the best WhoScored rated XI aged 21 and under from the weekend's action in Europe's top five leagues.

Goalkeeper: Alban Lafont (Nantes) - 7.86 rating

Nantes eventually succumbbed to defeat against Rennes on Friday night but it wasn't for a lack of trying on Alban Lafont's behalf. The 21-year-old made six saves, including a penalty stop, and also won one aerial duel. Only on one occasion this season has Lafont garnered a higher WhoScored rating in a Ligue 1 game.

Centre-back: Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus) - 8.07 rating

Matthijs de Ligt scored his second league goal of the season in Juventus' 3-0 win over Fiorentina at the weekend. His stoppage time goal capped a fine display and his second best in Serie A this season. De Ligt had three attempts on goal, two more than his previous eight league outings combined. The youngster also won four aerial duels and completed 95.2% of his passes.

Centre-back: Sebastiaan Bornauw (FC Koln) - 8.00 rating

FC Koln's remarkable resurgence continued on Sunday with a 4-0 thumping of Freiburg, with centre-back Sebastiaan Bornauw getting in on the act with his fourth league goal of the campaign. The 20-year-old had three shots in total and also won four aerial duels.

Centre-back: Mohammed Salisu (Real Valladolid) - 7.71 rating

Real Valladolid picked up an important victory over relegation rivals Mallorca at the weekend, with young defender Mohammed Salisu playing a key role at the back. Salisu won five aerial duels and completed as many tackles and interceptions combined to help Real Valladolid keep their third clean sheet in four away league matches.

Right midfield: Hichem Boudaoui (Nice) - 7.94 rating

Restricted to be a bit-part role in the first-team set-up this season, Hichem Boudaoui will hope to be rewarded with more playing time after a decisive role in Nice's 2-1 win over Lyon on Sunday. Boudaoui set up the winner for Nice, his first assist of the campaign, and also completed six tackles and interceptions combined.

Central midfield: Alexis Claude-Maurice (Nice) - 7.89 rating

Alexis Claude-Maurice joins team-mate Hichem Boudaoui in the team and the 21-year-old acted as the driving force in Nice's midfield. Claude-Maurice completed seven dribbles, attempted four shots and registered three key passes. He impressively also completed 94.4% of his passes.

Central midfield: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 9.34 rating

For the ninth league game this season, Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jadon Sancho scored and assisted. The 19-year-old has managed the feat in three league games in a row and in six of his last seven outings. Against Union Berlin at the weekend, Sancho completed six dribbles and completed 91.7% of his attempted passes.

Central midfield: Houssem Aouar (Lyon) - 7.82 rating

Houssem Aouar ended up on the losing side in Lyon's encounter with Nice but there were positives to take from his display. The Lyon starlet had four attempts, won two aerial duels and completed four tackles and interceptions combined. Most notably, however, the 21-year-old completed eight dribbles - a personal best in a league game this season.

Left midfield: Ansu Fati (Barcelona) - 9.26 rating

Ansu Fati benefitted from two pieces of Lionel Messi magic to score both goals in Barcelona's 2-1 win over Levante on Sunday. The 17-year-old had five attempts on goal in total and even registered three key passes. Perhaps most impressively, however, Fati won four tackles - a personal best in a league game this season - and completed 92.7% of his attempted passes.

Striker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - 9.10 rating

Everything Erling Haaland touches to gold and that proved no different this weekend as the teenager scored another brace, this time on his full league debut for Borussia Dortmund. Haaland has now scored seven goals in his first three league outings for the Bundesliga outfit, creating history in the process. Haaland has scored his seven league goals from eight shots.

Striker: Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - 8.89 rating

Kylian Mbappe's display was soured with a heated exchange with Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel but he was still superb before his withdrawal. Mbappe scored once in PSG's 5-0 mauling of nine men Montpellier, registered two key passes and completed three dribbles before coming off with more than 20 minutes to go.