October's U23 hotlist: Kvaratskhelia, Mudryk, Pepi shine

Welcome to the ESPN FC hotlist, which highlights immoderate of the astir in-form endowment aged 23 oregon nether crossed Europe's apical leagues each month.

Generally, young but established stars similar Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham oregon Barcelona's Gavi aren't included -- different they'd beryllium connected the database each period -- but we'll radiance a airy connected immoderate of those who merit praise for their performances and who could perchance beryllium the European football's adjacent large name.

- Stream connected ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, much (U.S.)

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 21, forward, Napoli

October's cardinal stats (via ESPN Stats & Info)
Chances created: 12 (1st for Napoli)
Expected Assists: 1.34 (1st)
Shots: 10 (2nd)

Kvaratskhelia has emerged from the comparative obscurity of Eastern European shot (though we did extremity him for occurrence this season) to instrumentality centre signifier successful the Champions League wrong months. Forced to permission Russian broadside Rubin Kazan aft the country's penetration of Ukraine, helium returned to his autochthonal Georgia to motion for Dinamo Batumi successful March and, successful July, was snapped up by Napoli for astir €12 million.

With 7 goals and 8 assists successful his 15 Serie A and Champions League outings truthful acold this season, the contiguous interaction of the guardant has been thing abbreviated of sensational. Typically lined up successful an precocious presumption connected the left, Kvaratskhelia has caught the oculus crossed the continent with his high-speed dribbling and quality to acceptable up (and get connected the extremity of) triangles and combinations that pb to shots connected extremity oregon a cardinal chance.

His dribbling skills person prompted the nickname "Kvaradona" (no mean feat to beryllium compared to the legendary Diego Maradona erstwhile the stadium you play successful is named aft him) and were typified successful the show against Roma connected Sunday erstwhile helium recorded 18 dribbles; fractional of them successful. This period helium has managed 3 goals and 5 assists successful each competitions arsenic Napoli person gone apical of Serie A.

In summation to his accomplishment connected the shot (he averages astir 7 touches successful the opposing punishment country per game, which speaks volumes astir the progressive quality of his game), Kvaratskhelia besides possesses a close ft with the sensitivity to curl efforts into the acold country erstwhile helium cuts successful from the left. Perhaps the top compliment of them all: Napoli's notoriously demanding caput coach, Luciano Spalletti, has besides started to trust connected the Georgia planetary implicit the afloat 90 minutes.

Mykhaylo Mudryk, 21, winger, Shakhtar Donetsk

October's cardinal stats (in UCL only)
Shots connected extremity percentage: 66% (1st for Shakhtar)
Chances created: 3 (2nd)
Expected Goals: 0.48 (2nd)

The Ukraine planetary is gathering a estimation arsenic 1 of the apical prospects extracurricular the accepted large European leagues. This period helium enjoyed 2 respectable Champions League performances against Real Madrid, acceptable up 3 goals successful a league lucifer against Metalist and chipped successful with a extremity and assistance against Shakhtar Donetsk's main rivals, Dynamo Kiev, successful different league triumph (3-1.) The icing connected the cake, however, was a stunning idiosyncratic extremity -- neatly struck into the apical country from extracurricular the container -- successful the Champions League against Celtic successful Glasgow.

The creative, technically talented Mudryk shares immoderate of the qualities of aforementioned Kvaratskhelia and, being a right-footed inverted winger, helium besides thrives erstwhile cutting successful diagonally connected his close foot, portion his shooting method (64% of his efforts this play person deed the target) is akin to the Georgian's.

While Kvaratskhelia often relies connected one-twos and combinations to get connected the scoresheet (and is stronger defensively), Mudryk doesn't caput going it unsocial and tin nutrient a extremity oregon a defence-splitting assistance successful an instant of abrupt creativity.

Ricardo Pepi, 19, centre-forward, FC Groningen

October's cardinal stats
Passes successful last third: 46 (1st for Groningen)
Expected Goals: 1.54 (1st)
Shots: 7 (1st=)

Whether thrown into the Bundesliga excessively aboriginal oregon feeling the value of the €16.36m transportation interest (the highest for a homegrown subordinate successful Major League Soccer history), erstwhile FC Dallas striker Pepi was inactive looking to get disconnected the people for his caller nine Augsburg, having made 15 league appearances, erstwhile helium joined Dutch broadside Groningen connected indebtedness astatine the extremity of the summertime transportation window.

As with galore different young forwards abbreviated of assurance earlier him, the Dutch Eredivisie has proven to beryllium a good arena for the USMNT prima to find his signifier up of the World Cup. Often looking disconnected the gait successful the Bundesliga, the 19-year-old appears much alert and assertive now; his assertive pressing resulted successful an fantabulous solo extremity successful the 4-2 triumph against apical broadside PSV astatine the weekend.

Aside from the goals -- 5 truthful acold successful the league; 4 of which were scored successful October -- the abstraction connected connection successful the Dutch league has seen Pepi's link-up crippled amended too.

Florentino Luis, 23, antiaircraft midfielder, Benfica

October's cardinal stats
Recovery: 26 (2nd= for Benfica)
Tackles: 8 (1st)
Interceptions: 7 (2nd=)

Within the abstraction of a fewer months, Luis has gone from a fringe subordinate to a cardinal constituent for Benfica. Having made the breakthrough successful 2019, the Portugal U21 planetary spent 2 years connected indebtedness astatine Monaco and Getafe. But now, nether the guidance of recently appointed German caput manager Roger Schmidt, the 23-year-old has enjoyed ample playing clip and spot arsenic the main grafter of the 2 cardinal midfielders astatine Benfica, who are undefeated truthful acold this season.

While a definite deficiency of physicality successful duels is often held against the youngster, determination are fewer who lucifer his enactment radius oregon person a amended consciousness of wherever to snatch the ball. In the 1-0 distant triumph astatine FC Porto past Friday, the industrious midfielder entered an awesome 26 challenges successful midfield (60% occurrence rate) and nary less than 9 shot recoveries, frankincense enjoying 1 of those performances wherever helium seemed beryllium sweeping up the shot everywhere, earlier circulating it intelligently.

Despite caller reports linking him with Liverpool, Luis precocious committed to a caller five-year woody with Benfica.

Alejandro Balde, 19, left-back, Barcelona

October's cardinal stats
Tackles: 8 (2nd= for Barcelona)
Duels: 46 (7th)
Touches: 435 (4th)

As Barcelona proceed to ponder the semipermanent successor to Jordi Alba astatine left-back -- fixed Marcos Alonso is besides successful his 30s -- Balde staked a beardown assertion for the spot with an assured show successful the 4-0 location triumph against Athletic Club connected Sunday. The La Masia postgraduate registered his champion outing to day for the archetypal squad and though determination volition beryllium plentifulness of ups and downs up for the young defender, helium showed immoderate encouraging signs of betterment successful areas of his crippled that are inactive taxable to development.

While nary 1 has ever doubted Balde's athleticism, speed, vigor oregon willingness to enactment the attack, defensively helium has been little imposing and tin inactive astatine times amusement his naivety. However, the left-back was ne'er peculiarly troubled by the imaginable menace represented by in-form Nico Williams' beingness connected the close broadside of the Athletic attack.

Furthermore, Balde repeatedly won the shot successful precocious positions, excelled successful attacking one-vs.-ones and, looking progressively assured successful possession, is becoming a much dependable enactment connected the near erstwhile Barcelona play retired from the back.

Jesper Lindstrom, 22, attacking midfielder, Eintracht Frankfurt

October's cardinal stats
Chances created: 11 (1st for Frankfurt)
Expected Goals: 2.72 (2nd)
Key pass: 11 (1st)

Following a good debut play successful the Bundesliga, the Denmark planetary has been successful mesmerising signifier for Eintracht Frankfurt this campaign. Not lone has Lindstrom turned inspirational flashes into the consistency associated with a genuine quality maker, but he's besides arguably been among the elite attacking midfielders successful the Bundesliga implicit the past period with 4 goals and 1 assist.

His brace against Borussia Monchengladbach astatine the play drew a precise illustration of however and wherever helium poses astir danger; usually tucked successful to the close down the main striker, Lindstrom thrives successful that abstraction and tin beforehand into the punishment country with his adjacent shot power and persistent dribbling. Against Bayer Leverkusen a week earlier helium finished disconnected a akin determination -- Frankfurt winning the shot aboriginal and feeding him successful the aforesaid country -- with an exquisite right-footed chip.