[spoiler]Sportsmail gives you the lowdown on the best emerging talent breaking through at football clubs throughout the league. Here, CRAIG HOPE takes a look at Zacharias Faour, the 15-year-old heading to Man City who has been compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
So, who is this guy I’m hearing whispers about?
Name: Zacharias Faour
Club: Manchester City
Age: 15
Position: Striker
Faour is a product of Malmo's youth academy in Sweden and has long since been tracked by Europe's top clubs.
The teenager originally agreed to join City in the summer when they were reported to have beaten Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal to his signature.
Faour turns 16 this month and will now move to England to join City's junior ranks. It is thought his eventual fee could rise beyond £1million dependent on add-ons.
Following his summer agreement, Hasan Cetinkaya, the player's agent, told Sportbladet: 'City rank him as one of the best in the world at his age level. He is the kind of player that all of the big teams are after.
'City take very few [young players] on, but they bring in the best players from Europe and South America.
'They don't take on as many players as Chelsea. They take the best players and the club will pay plenty to get them.'
So why the fuss?
You'd probably have to ask City's scouts that one. However, that we've known about Faour for a little while now suggests the boy has some talent.
There is also a certain resemblance to a fellow Swede, but we'll come to that.
What’s his style?
He's big – pictures belie his tender years – he's got a good touch, can hold up the ball and knows where the back of the net is. Not a bad set of attributes to boast we think you'll agree.
So, a bit like…
Now we get to it... Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Yes, Faour has been dubbed the new Zlatan. He's got the dark, dangling locks, the height and the playing style. And he's Swedish.
We're also guessing that if you're 15 and Real Madrid are said to be interested then you might have a bit of arrogance about you. There's nothing wrong with that though, we all love Zlatan after all.
How much is he worth?
It's been reported that the development fee paid to Malmo was £400,000. Faour's future value, however, is what really matters and City will be hoping a nought or two are added to that figure in the coming years.
How will he fit in?
Probably sat in the junior section at the Etihad for now watching the senior stars serve up their latest hammering.
For it is unlikely that we'll see Faour anywhere near the first team for a good couple of years yet. Indeed, Faour said this week: 'I will do everything to reach the A-team.
'I do not really know how big the expectations the club have for me, but they have said that they believe in me. They want to build a team that will be the best in the world and it's great that I'll be part of this venture.'
Everyone has a weakness…
Faour's biggest challenge is fulfilling his undoubted promise. Many young players have been touted as wonderkids only for us to end up wondering what happened to the kid.
What happens next?
Faour is said to be good enough to compete right away for a place in Patrick Vieira's elite development squad. A loan move could perhaps beckon the season beyond next, by which time he'll be turning 18.
But for now we'll have to follow City's youth teams if we want to catch a glimpse of one of Europe's hottest prospects.[/spoiler]
[strike]So, now the youth team has the next Messi and the next Zlatan! City CL winners from 2020 to 2025[/strike] Your thoughts on Faour?
