The kids are alright: Europe's best XI teenagers

The continent's best sides are littered with talents a few years beyond their teenage days, though beyond that, there are dozens of players younger than 20 who have already played first-team football.

Here's a starting XI of Europe's best emerging talents, with the qualifier that they've all played a part in their club's campaigns this season:

Goalkeeper

Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan): Straightforward selection here, as AC Milan shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 17, burst onto the scene this year as Italy's heir apparent to Gianluigi Buffon. Arguably the only consistent piece in an underachieving Rossoneri side, Donnarumma has started 26 matches paired with nine clean sheets in Milan's 14 league victories.

Defenders

Joe Gomez (Liverpool): Until a torn cruciate ligament ended his first season in the top-flight, Liverpool full-back Joe Gomez, 18, appeared slated for a sparkling debut campaign with the Reds.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah (Manchester United): Where Gomez's fitness forced Jurgen Klopp's hand, Manchester United's been reinvigorated by a hyphenated teenage defensive duo. Dutch youth international Timothy Fosu-Mensah, 18, has displayed a penchant for tough tackling in seven Premier League matches at centre-back.

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (Manchester United): Like Fosu-Mensah, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson's top-flight career kicked off earlier than expected, though the owner of the longest name in Premier League history has appeared poised in eight matches under Louis van Gaal.

Midfielders

Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund): The deepest pool of teenage talent is in midfield, where Borussia Dortmund's American 17-year-old Christian Pulisic's first-team form of late has seen the versatile attacker merit an automatic inclusion.

Renato Sanches (Benfica): The future of Portuguese football looks bright, with Benfica's 18-year-old deep-lying mid Renato Sanches starring for the Champions League quarter-finalists in 22 Primeira Liga tilts this season in a role typically filled by older players.

Ruben Neves (Porto): Like countryman Sanches, Porto midfielder Ruben Neves may very well have some inaccuracies on his passport. Neves, 19, became the youngest player to ever captain a Champions League side when he did so in February against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Alex Iwobi (Arsenal): From near obscurity with the Under-21 side to a becoming a mainstay on Arsene Wenger's team sheet, Nigerian youngster Alex Iwobi's meteoric rise has been one of a few positives in an otherwise dismal Arsenal campaign. Goals in his first two league starts were paired with a mature performance at Barcelona to signal a bright future for the nephew of former Bolton standout Jay-Jay Okocha.

Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich): The most experienced player on this list, Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman has made 21 Bundesliga appearances this season coupled with six in Champions League for Pep Guardiola's lot. Have to wonder why Juventus would sell him to Bayern, and more so, how Paris Saint-Germain couldn't find time for one of Europe's best young players in its squad.

Forwards

Ousmane Dembele (Rennes): From unknown commodity to one of Europe's most desired young talents, Ousmane Dembele, 18, has scored 12 times paired with five assists for Rennes this season in only 19 starts for Les Rouges et Noir.

Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City): Joining Dembele up top is Manchester City's 19-year-old Nigerian Kelechi Iheanacho, who has scored 11 goals in all comps in a primarily substitutes' role for Manuel Pellegrini's lot, essentially making fellow towering African striker Wilfried Bony surplus to requirements.

Bench - GK: Alban Lafont (Toulouse); DF: Reece Oxford (West Ham); MF: Amadou Diawara (Bologna), Alen Halilovic (Barcelona/Sporting Gijon), Julian Brandt (Bayer Leverkusen), Youri Tielemans (Anderlecht); FW: Breel Embolo (Basel)