England will head to the World Cup this summer as one of the favourites to lift the trophy after a run of strong tournament showings by a still relatively young core group of players. Football, though, moves fast, and soon there will be new stars who come along and usurp those established names. Fortunately for the Three Lions, the production line is showing few signs of slowing down.

The annual NXGN lists are back for 2026, as GOAL ranks the world's top teenage talents in men's and women's football, crowning winners that will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Vicky Lopez in being recognised as the best young footballers on the planet.

Gary Lineker has hailed the "enormous potential" of Premier League starlets Rio Ngumoha and Max Dowman, claiming the teenage duo represent the direct attacking profile England has long been "crying out" for. Following a historic weekend that saw Dowman break goalscoring records for Arsenal and Ngumoha shine for Liverpool, the former England captain expressed his excitement at the fearless approach shown by the next generation.

Thomas Tuchel will name his England squad for the March internationals on Friday, with the Three Lions reconvening for the final time before the end of the 2025-26 club season. This, effectively, will be the last chance for those on the fringes of the squad to impress without immediate fear of losing their World Cup place. But it will also be Tuchel's last opportunity to experiment with systems and players he thinks could help win the trophy.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot opted for a significant shake-up of his starting XI ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in Matchday 30 of the Premier League, making five changes from the side that fell to defeat against Galatasaray in the Champions League in midweek. The most notable omission is Mohamed Salah, whose recent dip in form has led to him losing his place in the line-up to teenage prodigy Rio Ngumoha.

The recalled Andy Robertson was the star of the show with a goal and an assist as Liverpool went some way towards making amends for Tuesday's utterly embarrassing Premier League loss at Wolves. Indeed, the rematch was a far better experience for the Reds as they returned to Molineux on Friday evening to record a 3-1 win that secured Arne Slot's side a spot in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.