Who is the next Mbappe? Ligue 1’s young stars to watch out for in 2018-19

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France’s conveyor belt of young talent paid off in the summer as Les Bleus lifted the World Cup – but who are the stars of the future?

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#1 Rayan Ait Nouri (Angers)

Left-back Rayan Ait Nouri (pictured right) may be at one of France’s more unfashionable top-flight clubs, but the 17-year-old is already on the radar of many of Europe’s top sides. He signed his first professional contract in February and, according to club coach Laurent Viaud, is a better prospect than France international Layvin Kurzawa was at the same stage of his development. He has yet to make his senior debut, but that should come this season.

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#2 Ferhat Cogalan (Lille)

There is a great deal of excitement in Lille about Ferhat Cogalan, who was signed from Valencia in the summer amid competition from numerous big European clubs, such as Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. The 16-year-old midfielder may start the campaign in LOSC’s reserves, but they are hopeful that he will be a major star in the years to come. Brought up in Grance-Synthe on France’s north coast, the teenager is hoping for a happy homecoming.

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#3 Abdoulaye Dabo (Nantes)

There was a good deal of worry that Nantes would never get to enjoy the talents of Abdoulaye Dabo in their first team. When last term ended, Juventus were ready to bring him to Italy for a fee of €5 million, but instead the youngest player ever to sign a professional deal with Nantes added two years to his deal. A player dubbed “a mix of Paul Pogba and Ngolo Kante” by France Under-17 coach Patrick Gonfalone has been given playing time in the pre-season friendlies and is a figure we can expect to see a lot more of in the future.

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#4 Willem Geubbels (Monaco)

Rarely can such fuss have been made over a player to have featured so little at senior level. Willem Geubbels only has 87 minutes of professional action under his belt, but in the summer he made a €20 million (£18m/$23m) move to Monaco amid interest from many of Europe’s largest sides. As such, there will be a great focus on the teenager when he finally debuts for Leonardo Jardim’s side, with an immense amount expected of a player already considered to be the next Kylian Mbappe at Stade Louis II.

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#5 Reo Griffiths (Lyon)

It was something of a surprise that Lyon managed to sign Reo Griffiths from Tottenham and make him the first English player ever to turn out for the famous Rhone club. One issue that Lyon may have to confront is some attitude problems, but given their adeptness at bringing through pugnacious youngsters in the past, Griffiths seems to be in the right environment to reach his potential.

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#6 Jonathan Ikone (Lille)

Although Jonathan Ikone won game time in Montpellier last season, he was a frustrating presence. It led to him being sold by Paris Saint-Germain in the summer to Lille, where he hopes he can channel his potential to a more consistent level. The 20-year-old forward, who like Kylian Mbappe was born in Bondy, was snapped up by LOSC for around €5 million. A player of undoubted talent, it is time for him to show he can become a regular starter.

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#7 Stanley N’Soki (PSG)

It’s not certain that 19-year-old Stanley N’Soki (pictured left) will still be at Paris Saint-Germain when the season begins, as the likes of Arsenal, Marseille and especially Newcastle hover. He is not yet tied down to a professional deal, but one imagines that after his impressive display against Monaco in the Trophee des Champions it has to be a top priority. He impressed down the left for the Ligue 1 champions on his full senior bow, even lending an assist, yet his more natural position is centre-back.

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#8 Oumar Solet (Lyon)

Centre-back has been a problem position for Lyon for several seasons now and they are hopeful that 18-year-old Oumar Solet can one day grow into the player to finally act as a solution. Signed from third-tier Laval in the summer for little more than €500,000, he could prove one of the bargains of the summer. Bruno Genesio has already given him game time in pre-season, where he looked comfortable against Inter in a 1-0 friendly defeat.

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#9 Martin Terrier (Lyon)

Perhaps no one has caught the eye in pre-season quite as much as Lyon attacker Martin Terrier. OL swooped to sign the 21-year-old from Strasbourg last January before loaning him immediately back to the club to finish the campaign. He impressed with Racing, scoring three times and creating four more in Ligue 1 but suffered from injuries in the second half of the season. He appears to have hit the ground running at Parc OL and should supplement the likes of Nabil Fekir, Mariano Diaz and Memphis Depay nicely.

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#10 Timothy Weah (PSG)

It’s not easy making a breakthrough as a young player into one of the world’s biggest clubs, but Timothy Weah, son of former Ballon d’Or winner George, is threatening to do just that. He turned out three times for PSG last season, playing 122 minutes in total, and in the Trophee des Champions clash with Monaco last week he notched his first senior goal and played the full 90 minutes. The USA international, just 18, is beginning to justify the hype.