Football Wonderkid Scout

Uros Cosic:

Hailed as the next Nemanja Vidic, the 18-year old defender currently plays for CSKA Moscow and has all the attributes to become a star of the future. Currently playing for Serbia's Under-19's, Cosic is already a target for Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Strong in the air and good on the ball, rumours suggest Russia may offer citizenship to lure him.

Georgi Schennikov:
The diminutive left back might be small on size, but certainly isn't short on heart. He was a completely deserving recipient of the 2009 Best Young Russian Footballer of the Year and went on to make 25 appearances for CSKA at the age of 18 years old. Now an established regular, Schennikov is currently helping CSKA in the Europa League.

Pavel Yakovlev:
Spartak striker Pavel Yakovlev is one of Russia's rising stars and is a regular for Russia at Under-21 level. In his first full season in 2009, Yakovlev stood out for his outstanding vision and eye for goal as he stood in to replace the injured Ivan Saenko and Cristian Maidena. With good tehcnical ability, Yakovlev has all the attributes to reach the top.

Alan Gagatov:

The 19 year-old midfielder currently plays for Lokomotiv Moscow and is a star of Russia's Under-21 side. He made his breakthrough after the depature of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and has not looked back since. With excellent technical ability and versatility, Gagatov was a key player ain helping Lokomotiv to qualify for the Europa League in 2010.

Alan Dzagoev:
At just 20 years-old Dzagoev is arguably Russia's finest young talent. Joining CSKA Moscow in 2008 he was awarded Best Young Footballer of the Year by the RFU. However, in 2009 it became obvious that not only was Dzagoev one of the best players in the Russian Premier League but also one of the best attacking midfields in Europe. A regular for Russia.

Zhano Ananidze:
The young playmaking sensation has been described as the future of Georgian football and currently plays for Spartak Moscow. Just eight days after his 17th birthday, he became the youngest player to ever score in the RPL, when he netted the opening goal in a 3-0 victory over side Lokomotiv Moscow. He is currently being watched by both Arsenal and Liverpool.

Over the past few seasons in the Russian Premier League, historic records are being broken at record speeds due to the infusion of youth throughout the ranks of the league. Nearly every club has seen a record fall for the youngest player to score a top flight goal and added with the influx of money powered by oil rich billionaires, the league has grown more than any other league in Europe and has attracted top talent from across the world. While other clubs around Europe have famous academies such as Barcelona and Ajax, Russian clubs aren't quite there yet but the standard of talent coming of the production lines has never been so good. It is with this that we look at the finest players currently making their way through the ranks. First up is Uros Cosic who is an 18 year-old Serbian defender, currently on the books at CSKA Moscow. Such is the high esteem he is held in that comparisons have already been drawn to arguably the best defender in the world, Nemanja Vidic. It is not difficult to reach that conclusion since both represented their country at Under-19 level before they were 18, both got their breaks in the Russian capital (Vidic with Spartak and Cosic at CSKA) and if rumours are to believed coming out of the Baltic, then Cosic could well be on his way to Manchester United to join Vidic. Standing at 6"1, Cosic does not stand out physically but he more than makes up with this with his ability in the air and with the ball at his feet.

One of the most exciting revelations in Russia has been the emergence of Spartak striker Pavel Yakovlev who made his debut in the Russian Premier League on June 13, 2009 in a game against FC Khimki. Starting the 2009 season, Yakovlev made a fine start with the youth team, scoring 7 goals in 14 appearances during the opening three months. When Spartak found themselves with a few left midfield options due to inuries to Ivan Saenko and Cristian Maidena,coach Valery Karpin had little option but to call on the youth player. Having only played as a striker, Karpin believed he would make a good left sided attacking midfielder due to his excellent technical ability, pace and strong left-foot. His creativity helped give Spartak a new dimension and almost immediately he found chemistry with fellow hitman Welliton. Still incredibly raw in talent, Yakovlev has enormous potential but at the same time their are many weaknesses for the young Russian to improve upon. A regular at Under-21 level for Russia where he scored on his debut against Latvia, Yakovlev spent the 2010 season on loan at FC Krylia Sovetov Samara, scoring 4 goals in 9 games. Yakovlev's team mate at Spartak, Zhano Ananidze is another exciting talent currently making his name in Russia. The young playmaker has been hailed as the future of Georgian football and made history when he came the youngest player ever to score in the Russian Premier League, eight days after his 17th birthday when he netted the opening goal in a 3-0 victory over local rivals Lokomotiv Moscow. A very versatile player, playing either at the centre of an attacking midfield or as a winger on either flank, Ananidze can also be shifted to play behind the striker. Technically excellent with raw pace, Ananidze's impressive performances haven't gone unnoticed and he is now wanted by Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. The youngest player ever to represent Georgia, he has already won six caps and has only just turned 18.

Arguably the finest young talent in Russian football right now is attacking midfielder Alan Dzagoev who is just 20 years old. After joining Krylia Sovetov-Sok in 2006, he remained there for two seasons before transferring to CSKA Moscow. During his debut season in 2008, Dazagoev was awarded Best Young Player in the league and made his way into the national team. Highlights for the year included winning the Russian Cup and in the league game against arch rivals Spartak, Dazagoev made three assists, helping inspire CSKA to a 5-1 victory and since then he has become an undisputed member of the first team. Dzagoev was also the man of the match when he scored 2 goals in a 3–1 away victory against UEFA Cup winners Zenit St. Petersburg. After just one season in the Russian capital, Dzagoev was reportedly the interest of Real Madrid, but the youngster was quick to play down these rumours, confirming his commitment to CSKA and admitted that should he move abroad, his preference would be Chelsea, the team he supports. In the 2009 season, it became obvious that he was not only one of the best players in the Russian Premier League, but one of the finest attacking midfielders in Europe. He has bagged six Champions League goals before his 20th birthday and added two assists for good measure, leading CSKA into the knockout stages. After a string of impressive performances at club level, Dzagoev was called up to Russia squad for 2010 World Cup qualification match against Germany scheduled for 11 October 2008. He made his debut as a half-time substitute, at age of 18 years and 116 days, becoming the youngest outfield player ever to compete for Russia, and second youngest overall after his CSKA teammate Igor Akinfeev.

A defender currently impressing in the Russian Premier League is 19 year-old left-back Georgi Schennikov of CSKA Moscow. Recipient of the 2009 Best Young Russian Footballer of the Year, he made 25 league appearances in 2009 and firmly established himself as the Army Men's first choice left back. Agile and technically excellent, Schennikov is good on the ball and provides a good delivery. A regular at Under-21 level, Schennikov can be Russia's future first choice left-back but needs to add strength and experience to his game. At neighbouring rivals, Spartak is another defender making progress by the name of Sergei Parshivlyuk who is a right-back who made his breakthrough in 2009. A converted midfielder, only team captain Martin Jiranek made more appearances in Spartak's back-line than the home-grown teenager. Now a permanent fixture on Russia's U-21 squad, Parshivlyuk was named as the second best right back in the Russian Premier League, behind Zenit captain Aleksandr Anyukov. Another player making his name in the Russian capital is Alan Gagatov, who came to prominence for Lokomotiv with the departure of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov. During the 2009 season, Gagatov was influential in helping his side secure a Europa League berth in 2010 despite losing their star player. The Russian Under-21 international showed flashes of brilliance and superb technical skill, but is still adapting to the aggressive physical nature of the Russian Premier League. At just 19 years of age, the 6ft midfielder is being hyped as the next great talent to emerge from the Lokomotiv youth academy.