U21 Team of the Month: Mbappe, Sancho and Haaland form breathtaking attack
Here we run through the best WhoScored rated XI aged 21 and under from Europe's top five leagues for the month of February. To be in the running, players must have made at least three appearances in February and been 21 or under at the start of the month.
Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale (Bournemouth) - 6.53 rating
Bournemouth's struggles in the league continue and they have relied on Aaron Ramsdale in goal too much. The 21-year-old made at least 11 more saves than any other goalkeeper aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues last month.
Right-back: Achraf Hakimi (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.55 rating
Achraf Hakimi registered four assists in five league matches in February, more than any player aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues. He finished with only one WhoScored rating below 7.00 in that time. The Real Madrid loanee completed nine dribbles across his five appearances and also registered five key passes. Moreover, Hakimi made 14 tackles and interceptions combined.
Centre-back: Tanguy Kouassi (PSG) - 7.57 rating
Tanguy Kouassi made the most of Thiago Silva's absence last month, most notably catching the eye in Paris Saint-Germain's 4-4 draw with Amiens. The 17-year-old centre-back scored twice in the draw and also started in clean sheet victories over Dijon and Montpellier.
Centre-back: Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig) - 7.65 rating
RB Leipzig closed February with three clean sheets in a row in the Bundesliga and Dayot Upamecano played an integral part at the back for the German outfit. Upamecano was the WhoScored Man of the Match in their 0-0 draw away to Bayern Munich, for example. The 21-year-old made 16 tackles and interceptions combined across his four league matches and also weighed in with 17 clearances. Moreover, he won possession in the defensive third (24) more times than any other player aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues.
Left-back: Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) - 7.44 rating
Alphonso Davies appears to have made the left-back position at Bayern Munich his own in the wake of injuries to David Alaba and Lucas Hernandez earlier this season. Davies registered two assists in five Bundesliga appearances and completed more dribbles than any other player aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues last month (16).
Right wing: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.97 rating
No one played aged 21 and under on the continent played a direct hand in more goals than Sancho (6 - three goals, three assists) in February. The Borussia Dortmund winger scored or assisted in each of his five appearances in the Bundeslgia last month and ranked second for the most key passes (11).
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Central midfield: Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen) - 7.77 rating
Kai Havertz has been a completely different player since the turn of the year compared to his form in the first half of the campaign. The 20-year-old scored once and registered one assist in four Bundesliga appearances last month, with both of his goal involvements coming in his final two appearances in February. Havertz turned in his best display of the season in a 3-2 win away to Union Berlin in the middle of last month, setting a personal best for most dribbles completed in a Bundesliga match in 19/20 (6), adding to his goal and four key passes.
Central midfield: Mounir Chouiar (Dijon) - 7.71 rating
Mounir Chouiar was asked to carry out different roles for French side Dijon in February and did so effectively before his month was ended through injury after six minutes against Monaco. He scored twice in a 2-2 draw with Bordeaux before that and overall completed at least five more dribbles than any other player aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues (22).
Left wing: Dwight McNeil (Burnley) - 7.61 rating
Dwight McNeil did his chances of a late push for England's Euro 2020 squad no harm last month with several eye-catching displays for Burnley in the Premier League. McNeil scored and assisted in their 3-0 win over Bournemouth to earn his first WhoScored Man of the Match award since November. Furthermore, only one player aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues created more clear-cut goalscoring chances than McNeil last month (4).
Striker: Kylian Mbappe (PSG) - 8.58 rating
That player was Kylian Mbappe, who created seven clear-cut goalscoring chances last month. The Paris Saint-Germain star finished February as the WhoScored Player of the Month in Europe's top five leagues of players aged 21 and under. The Paris Saint-Germain striker closed the month with a perfect WhoScored 10 rating after scoring a brace and registering one assist against Dijon. Moreover, Mbappe scored more goals than any other player aged 21 and under in Europe's top five leagues last month (5).
Striker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - 7.61 rating
Erling Haaland scored four goals in four league starts in February. The biggest surprise is that the rising star failed to score in a seven-goal thriller against Bayer Leverkusen. The 19-year-old averaged a league goal every 90.8 minutes of playing time in the Bundesliga last month.
