Welcome to the ESPN FC hotlist, which each month highlights some of the most in-form talent aged 23 or under across Europe’s top leagues.

And Agbonlahor, Villa’s all-time leading Premier League goalscorer, said that although he was desperate for Gerrard to be a success at Villa Park, he concedes that the owners were left with little option but to show him the door after a “shambles” of a performance.

Instead of their arranged match in Indonesia, which cannot take place due to government regulations to improve safety measures at football stadiums, BVB will play against the Johor Southern Tigers in Malaysia on 28 November. The Lion City Sailors from Singapore will be the first opponents for the eight-time German champions on 24 November, while the tour will conclude with a clash against the Vietnamese national team in Hanoi on 30 November.

“We didn’t get the little things right” – #BSCBMG reaction We gathered the thoughts from the...

After their 2-0 defeat to BVB last time out, Ole Werner’s side have another tough test ahead them in the form of a trip to Champions League participants Eintracht Frankfurt (Saturday, 18th February, 18:30 CET). SGE are currently in sixth place, but close to the teams above. Head coach Ole Werner knows that it is no easy task for Werder: “They are a top team, so we will need to have a perfect day.”

The final friendly match before the start of training camp. VfL travelled to SC Paderborn. The...

Jonjoe Kenny has all but cemented his place in the Schalke 04 starting XI since his arrival in Gelsenkirchen. The 22-year-old is also hoping that his impressive performances will help him to achieve a childhood dream.

Jeffrey Gouweleeuw: “This win has really given us some self-confidence! We simply earned the three points today and it’s a fantastic feeling to have kept another clean sheet. We had a bit of bad luck in the first half with the disallowed goal, but for me, our goal in the second half has to count. As a defender, you get into duels like that all the time in games; it’s just not a foul. What counts at the end of the day is that we have earned the win in a six-pointer against one of our direct opponents.”

To make it through the treacherous gauntlet, Pavard knows the team must stay focused and avoid looking past any opponents.

Smolcic makes UCL debut