cost United \u00a372m when they signed him from Atalanta in August 2023<\/a>, said to Denmark\u2019s TV2 last week. \u201cBut inside myself my thoughts are in a completely different place. I\u2019m self-critical. I still want to be even better, more involved in the games and score more goals, but it\u2019s fun to observe how the image of me is constantly changing.\u201d<\/p>\nJakub Kiwior (Arsenal\/Porto)<\/p>\n
After 27 games of the Primeira Liga season, Porto have conceded only 11 goals, to help put them top of the table, seven points above Sporting. Kiwior\u2019s influence has been obvious, in Europe as well as domestically, where Porto will face Nottingham Forest in the Europa League quarter-finals. The Polish defender has formed a very strong central pairing with his compatriot Jan Bednarek, formerly of Southampton and Leicester. The partnership has provided the foundations for the rest of the team, with Kiwior\u2019s importance seen in how Porto have won 10 matches in which he has featured by a single goal. The 26-year-old\u2019s comfort on the ball allows Porto to build from the back and he can also mix it up.<\/p>\n
Jakub Kiwior (right) blocks Pedro Gon\u00e7alves of Sporting Lisbon during their draw in February. Photograph: Eurasia Sport Images\/Getty ImagesLuka Vuskovic (Tottenham\/Hamburg)<\/p>\n
Considering the lack of defensive options at Tottenham throughout the season, all concerned may be quite upset that Vuskovic is flourishing in the Bundesliga. The Croatia centre-back turned 19 in February and has looked mature beyond his years in the backline of a team that have the best defensive record outside the top six clubs in Germany. A towering presence in the air, Vuskovic has been an integral component of attacking and defensive set pieces, scoring five goals in 24 league games, most notably in a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, who have been linked with a permanent move for the teenager. Vuskovic, who has won two rookie of the month awards, made a name for himself in December with a stunning flick against Werder Bremen.<\/p>\n
Largie Ramazani (Leeds\/Valencia)<\/p>\n
After helping Leeds return to the Premier League, Ramazani was allowed to head to the Mestalla. The Belgian winger had a slow start in Spain, despite registering an assist on his La Liga debut in a dominant win over Getafe. Injury interrupted Ramazani\u2019s season, but he scored his first goal for Valencia in late January in his 11th league appearance, all coming from the bench. That began a run of scoring five in eight games, including a first Valencia start on 15 February, to help Carlos Corber\u00e1n\u2019s side move away from the relegation zone. Ramazini picked up La Liga\u2019s goal of the month award in February, thanks to a stunning volley to instigate a victory over local rivals Levante.<\/p>\n
Valencia\u2019s Largie Ramazani celebrates in spectacular style after scoring against Levante in February. Photograph: Clive Brunskill\/Getty ImagesWout Faes (Leicester\/Monaco)<\/p>\n
After a dispiriting first half of the season in the Championship with Leicester, the Belgian defender found an escape route. Often in these circumstances players have to accept dropping down a level, but Faes was able to secure a move to the playground of the rich and famous. His debut in Monte Carlo was a seventh defeat in eight Ligue 1 games, but he has subsequently helped steady the ship and S\u00e9bastien Pocognoli\u2019s side are unbeaten in nine games, winning seven, to put themselves back in contention for Champions League qualification. Faes was part of the team that beat Paris Saint-German in the league and ran them close in Europe, losing 5-4 over two legs in a Champions League playoff.<\/p>\n
Wout Faes tackles PSG\u2019s D\u00e9sir\u00e9 Dou\u00e9 during Monaco\u2019s victory over the French champions in March. Photograph: Szwarc Henri\/ABACA\/ShutterstockTriston Rowe (Aston Villa\/Annecy)<\/p>\n
Seeking a development opportunity is always a fine balancing act, especially for a teenager. The right-back Rowe wanted first-team football last summer and took the chance of moving to Ligue 2, a bold choice for the then 18-year-old. It has paid off. The England youth international\u2019s progress was shown in February when he was nominated for the league\u2019s player of the month award. He has played 83% of the minutes available to him and is attracting interest across Europe. Rowe has eyes on challenging Matty Cash at Villa but, equally, could go on loan again to help continue the progress he has made in France.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rasmus H\u00f8jlund (Manchester United\/Napoli) The Dane, like many others, struggled under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford and was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":552327,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[403,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-552326","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-soccer","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=552326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/552326\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/552327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=552326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=552326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=552326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}