April's U23 hotlist: Brighton and FC Salzburg stars lead the way

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

Generally, young but established stars like Manchester City‘s Erling Haaland, Borussia Dortmund‘s Jude Bellingham or Barcelona‘s Gavi aren’t included — otherwise they’d be on the list every month — but we’ll shine a light on some of those who deserve praise for their performances and who could potentially be European football’s next big name.

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Olise has had an impressive Premier League season, with three assists in the 5-1 demolition of Leeds United at Elland Road on April 9 demonstrating his potential.

A brilliant set-piece taker, he is a master of combinational play with his teammates in the final third and, though used as a central attacking midfielder for the France under-21 side, he has proven pivotal in an inverted wide role for Palace.

Olise’s dribbling and ball progression make him particularly valuable in the transitional phase, while his fine crossing technique and passing vision — as witnessed by his delicate assist to set up Palace’s second goal against West Ham — help make him an intelligent and efficient midfielder. He has been instrumental in Roy Hodgson’s remarkable revival in south London and is the fourth on the list of Premier League assists this season.

With Levi Colwill and Evan Ferguson featuring in previous editions of the ESPN hotlist, Enciso is the third Brighton prospect to appear already, which is not only testament to the club’s fine scouting work but is also a reflection of manager Roberto De Zerbi’s desire to let his teenage stars express themselves.

Having arrived last summer for a hefty €11.6m fee from Paraguayan side Libertad — where he made his professional debut at the age of 15 — Enciso is now starting to showcase the kind of talent that suggests he has a strong future in the game. With a tremendous shot (see his superb goal against Chelsea for an apt example) and an instinctive understanding of space that sees him float across the front line, he can effortlessly find smart positions to wreak havoc.

He has adapted quickly to the Premier League and his two assists in the 6-0 win over Wolves on April 29 show how important his creativity can be.

In the summer of 2021, Rennes acted decisively to secure the services of one of the top young prospects in European football for a club-record €28m from Anderlecht. But while Doku fared respectably in his debut Ligue 1 season — with two goals and three assists from 30 games — the past two years have been a succession of struggles, with recurring injuries, frustrating periods of stop-start development and adverse form.

In April, however, there were signs that the speedy forward has returned to his exhilarating best. His four Ligue 1 goals for Rennes during the month encapsulated what he’s all about as a player: direct movement, dribbling, pace and finishing. After netting a brace against Reims, he added two more against Angers two weeks later — courtesy of a delightful back-post volley and then a superb individual run from the right — to suggest that he could recapture some of that early promise.

Salzburg have at least half a dozen high-performing U23 stars to choose from but this month it’s hard to look past the €7m January arrival from Maccabi Tel Aviv. One of the breakthrough players at last summer’s European Under-21 Championship, Gloukh immediately attracted interest from a plethora of big clubs but sensibly chose the Austrian champions as the next step in his development.

Lined up as a No. 10, the Israel international got on the scoresheet twice for his new club in April. A fine dribbler, his appreciation of space and ball control in tight areas makes him look like a graduate of Barcelona‘s La Masia academy, while he has registered 1.6 shots and 2.2 key passes per 90 minutes for the club so far.

Guler has already been hailed as Turkish football’s new prodigy at youth level, but is now starting to show off his immense talent in the Fenerbahce first team. Following a promising debut campaign — he was first exposed to competitive senior football at the age of 16 — he happily accepted Mesut Ozil’s No. 10 shirt at the start of the season, which speaks volumes about the expectations placed on him, as well as his own self-belief.

A left-footed, technically superb playmaker who can find space in the final third, especially when cutting in from the right, his vision is remarkable for an 18-year-old. The Turkey international constantly deceives his markers with quick body feints and deft touches, while his low centre of gravity and fine spatial awareness can see him escape trouble by way of quick footwork or extravagant turns.

A player with a high development ceiling, Guler displayed his finishing skills in April with two goals in the 3-3 draw against Istanbulspor and has been linked with a move to Arsenal.

A €4m signing from Liga MX side Cruz Azul last summer, the Mexico international’s recent form has seen Premier League scouts flock to Feyenoord games. Since the turn of the year, Gimenez has hit the net 14 times in all competitions for the Eredivisie leaders, including a seven-game streak of away goals, and had four goals in four games through April.

The 22-year-old predominantly operates in close proximity to the penalty area (7+ touches in the opposing box per 90 minutes) and excels through directness, pace and positional awareness, with most of his goals coming from swift, one-touch finishes at close range.

With impressive physical attributes and a keen instinct for where the ball is going to drop, Gimenez also plays with a tenacity that is showcased by his purposeful off-the-ball movement and uncompromising willingness to get on the end of crosses.