Borussia Dortmund new boy Haaland makes best U21 XI debut
Here we run through the best WhoScored rated XI from the weekend's action in Europe's top five leagues, comprised of players aged 21 and under. There were no Premier League matches this past weekend.
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan) - 8.85 rating
AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was the WhoScored Man of the Match as the Rossoneri recorded a 1-0 win away to Brescia on Friday. The 20-year-old was superb between the sticks, making seven saves to ensure Milan got their fourth win in a row in all competitions.
Right-back: Achraf Hakimi (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.82 rating
Full-back Achraf Hakimi is the first of three Borussia Dortmund players in our best rated XI. The Real Madrid loanee again illustrated his threat in attack from deep positions with five dribbles, two shots and one key pass in their 5-1 thumping of FC Koeln. Hakimi also completed 90.2% of his attempted passes.
Centre-back: Igor Julio (SPAL) - 7.18 rating
SPAL slipped to a 3-1 defeat at home to Bologna at the weekend but centre-back Igor Julio can at least take heart from his display. The 21-year-old completed 94.3% of his attempted passes and made six tackles and interceptions combined. Furthermore, the SPAL defender made four clearances and triggered two offsides from Bologna's attackers.
Centre-back: Marash Kumbulla (Verona) - 7.18 rating
Verona are remarkably sandwiched between AC Milan and Napoli in the Serie A table after their 3-0 win over Lecce at the weekend. 19-year-old centre-back Marash Kumbulla turned in another eye-catching display for Verona to help his side keep a clean sheet. The Albanian teenager won six aerial duels against Lecce.
Left-back: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) - 8.74 rating
Bayern Munich thumped Schalke 5-0 on Saturday evening and Alphonso Davies turned in another assured performance from left-back. The 19-year-old made six tackles and interceptions combined to ensure Bayern kept their third clean sheet in a row. Going forward, Davies registered four key passes and completed five dribbles.
Right wing: Ander Barrenetxea (Real Sociedad) - 8.32 rating
Used exclusively from the bench this season, Ander Barrenetxea will hope to make his first league start of the campaign in the near future after netting against Mallorca on Sunday. It was the 18-year-old's first league goal of 2019/20 and he managed it in a 33-minute cameo. In that time, the teenager remarkably registered three key passes and completed four dribbles.
Central midfield: Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen) - 8.45 rating
Kai Havertz endured a thoroughly difficult first half of the campaign but has started 2020 with a bang. The Germany international followed up his goal and assist display against Paderborn in his first match of the year with a goal in Bayer Leverkusen's 3-0 win over Fortuna Duesseldorf at the weekend. Havertz also won three aerial duels, more than his previous four league games combined (1), and registered four key passes.
Central midfield: Christoph Baumgartner (Hoffenheim) - 8.53 rating
Hoffenheim youngster Christoph Baumgartner makes one of our best rated U21 XIs for the first time. The 20-year-old was the WhoScored Man of the Match in Hoffenheim's 3-0 win away to Werder Bremen on Sunday after netting his second goal of the campaign. Baumgartner also set a personal best for the most tackles won in a single Bundesliga game this season (5).
Left wing: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 8.87 rating
Jadon Sancho produced another stunning display for Borussia Dortmund in their easy victory over FC Koeln at the weekend. The England international scored and assisted for the seventh league game this season, at least three more occasions than any other player in Europe's top five leagues. Sancho had three shots and created five goalscoring chancesn against FC Koeln in total.
Striker: Alexander Isak (Real Sociedad) - 8.04 rating
Alexander Isak has now scored five league goals this season after netting in Real Sociedad's 3-0 win at home to Mallorca. As well as scoring, the 20-year-old won three aerial duels, as many as his previous 10 league appearances combined. Isak also completed two dribbles against Mallorca.
Striker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - 8.04 rating
Erling Haaland's stunning start to life at Borussia Dortmund continued at the weekend. The 19-year-old couldn't quite manage to score a hat-trick from the bench as he managed on his Dortmund debut, but he did score twice in just 25 minutes in a 5-1 win over FC Koeln. Haaland has now scored five goals from six shots in 59 minutes played across his two Dortmund appearances.
