Akin Famewo

Famewo was earning praise as a special defensive talent from a young age, progressing through one respected academy before a move meant to establish him at a higher level. A serious injury on his first appearance for a new club stopped that momentum in its tracks, forcing him to rebuild his career almost from scratch through patience and rehabilitation. He has since worked his way back into first team football through sheer persistence.

The real question is whether the player everyone once raved about as a teenager can still become that player now the early hype has faded. Injuries like the one he suffered do not just cost a player time, they can cost confidence too, and how he handles contact early in games will tell its own story. Watch how much authority he shows in one on one duels before deciding whether that old promise is finally arriving.