Italian Serie A duo Paulo Dybala and Paul Pogba are the two top under-23 performers in the top five European leagues, according to new research by International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES).
Only two players born on or after Jan. 1, 1992 made the top 12 positions in three different rankings: Palermo's Dybala (take on, chance creation and shooting) and Juventus star Pogba (distribution, take on and shooting.)
From the Premier League, Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is the best at take ons, Tottenham's Christian Eriksen (3rd) and Harry Kane (2nd) scored highly in distribution and shooting respectively, while Raheem Sterling finished fourth in chance creation.
Defensively, Burnley's Michael Keane came second in the category of rigour, while Manchester Utd defender Phil Jones was in the top three for recovery.
CIES Football Observatory Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Shooting: ability to take advantage of goal opportunities through accurate shooting
No. 1: Neymar Junior (Barcelona)
Chance creation: ability to put teammates in a good position to score
No. 1: Isco Alarcon (Real Madrid)
Take on: ability to create dangerous situations by successfully challenging opponents
No. 1: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal)
Distribution: ability to keep a hold on the game through efficient passing
No. 1: Marco Verratti (Paris St-Germain)
Recovery: ability to minimise goal opportunities for opponents through proficient interception work
No. 1: Layvin Kurzawa (Monaco)
Rigour: ability to minimise goal opportunities for opponents through robust duelling
No. 1: Jose Gímenez (Atletico Madrid)