The World Cup 2018 One's To Watch Thread

[Winston Biscuit]

I thought we might like a thread about which players we may want to keep an eye out for at the World Cup, those that could take their career to another level over the summer and those that will be fought over by clubs before the next season starts.

I will kick it off by throwing
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in. Serbian midfielder who plays for Lazio. He is seen as one of the main reasons for Lazio's great season so far and is generally described as being a very technically gifted player who spots defence unlocking passes others don't and he pops up with a goal here or there.

[Sanguine]

Not quite in the spirit of your thread, but Raheem Sterling is still only 23, and if I heard right is set to be the England squad's 'elder statesman' as the only player with two tournaments behind him already. He's had a brilliant season at City, and if Southgate plays him in the right role, with license to come into the middle as well as down the wing, a bit of a Salah-type role, then he could be our player of the tournament.

I believe this will be Isco's first tournament, at 25, as he missed the Euro 2016 squad.

[Hoop Blah]

Not quite in the spirit of your thread, but Raheem Sterling is still only 23, and if I heard right is set to be the England squad's 'elder statesman' as the only player with two tournaments behind him already. He's had a brilliant season at City, and if Southgate plays him in the right role, with license to come into the middle as well as down the wing, a bit of a Salah-type role, then he could be our player of the tournament.

I believe this will be Isco's first tournament, at 25, as he missed the Euro 2016 squad.

I agree Sterling could well be on to watch, and I think he did alright in Brazil as well by the way, but he isn't the only one in the (likely) squad to have played in two tournaments. I'd assume that Henderson, Jones, Hart and Oxlade-Chamberlain will all make the squad if fit. Sterling should be a key player in the side though.

Isco is a good shout as one that's not really done much on the international stage as yet.

Timo Werner could be one ready to make a big impact too, but again, perhaps not the unknown quantities the thread is after.

[Sanguine]

Agree re your last point - I think Winston has aimed high with this thread, but might be disappointed. Those players might remain unknown by dint of being unknown!

To continue to not answer the premise of the thread, one shame of the USA not qualifying is that we won't see Christian Pulisic ahead of perhaps being one of the big transfers of the summer.