Ziyad Larkeche

Larkeche developed inside two of European football's most recognisable academies before a loan move gave him his first proper taste of regular first team football. He made an immediate mark with a goal straight from a free kick during a local derby. That attacking instinct sits alongside a defensive job he still has to prove he can do consistently at a higher level, since academy pedigree alone rarely guarantees a smooth transition into senior football. Dual nationality gives him options at international level that few defenders his age can claim.

A serious hamstring injury interrupted that loan spell for months, forcing him to fight his way back into a struggling side rather than build on his early form uninterrupted. Whether that recovery has left him fully ready for regular senior competition, rather than still finding his rhythm, remains the honest question surrounding him now.