World Cup 2014 – Ones to Watch – Defenders

As the minutes tick down towards the 2014 World Cup, we don our Scout hats once again to run the rule over some standout options for the tournament ahead. In the first of our “Ones to Watch” series, we select five young players per outfield position – all aged 25 or under – who we’re hoping will not only produce the points for our Fantasy teams but may also earn themselves a move to the Premier League for the season ahead:

Serge Aurier

The 21-year-old Ivory Coast star has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal and is reportedly interesting Liverpool as both clubs seek to bolster their options at right-back. Bacary Sagna looks set to depart the Emirates and with just 12 months left on Glen Johnson’s contract, the Premier League pair are believed to be ready to shell out £7.5m for Aurier’s services.

Versatile enough to play at centre-half and as a right wing-back in Toulouse’s 3-5-2 formation, the youngster’s excellent displays out wide, in particular, caught the eye during 2013/14. In the sixth year of his professional career, Aurier’s surges down the flank helped serve up six goals and six assists from 34 league appearances, with his club manager, Alain Casanova, full of praise for his displays:

“In terms of right-backs, he’s one of the best, if not the best in Ligue 1. He’s still got a lot to improve but his potential is huge.”

Priced at just 4.6 in FantasyiTeam, and $120,000 in Fox Sports, Aurier will fancy his chances to produce in what looks a fairly open group along with Colombia, Greece and Japan. Fielded as a right-back in a four-man defence for his country, he offers a strong shout for points at both ends of the pitch as he looks to turn in a series of displays which could well secure a switch to the Premier League in time for 2014/15.

Ricardo Rodriguez

The Switzerland left-back arrives on the back of an outstanding season for German club Wolfsburg where his contribution in the final third proved crucial to his side’s fifth-place finish. Starting all 34 league matches as a left-back in a 4-2-3-1, he found the net on five occasions and also served up nine assists, with his energetic performances in both halves of the pitch surely set to earn him a move to one of Europe’s bigger clubs.

Indeed, Rodriguez is on Chelsea’s radar, according to reports, with Jose Mourinho keen to boost his options in light of Ashley Cole’s departure. The Blues face tough competition, though, as Real Madrid are also considering a bid as the race for the 21-year-old’s signature heats up. Encouragingly for his suitors, Wolfsburg’s general manager Klaus Allofs accepts the interest is inevitable in light of the youngster’s current form:

“Ricardo is going through a very excellent development. It would be a great thing for our club if we end up in a situation that sees many clubs being interested in our first-team players.”

Coming in at 5.4 in FantasyiTeam and $135,000 in Fox Sports, Rodriguez will be unleashed against Ecuador, France and Honduras over the group stages and if he maintains his recent high standards, Fantasy managers have every reason for optimism.

Daley Blind

A product of the Ajax youth academy, the 24-year-old has turned in some outstanding displays since being moved into a central midfield holding role by manager Ronald de Boer. Previously utilised as a left-back by the Amsterdam outfit, Blind’s displays overcame some sceptical fans and helped his side to a fourth consecutive league title in 2013/14 – in addition, he was also named Dutch Football talent of the year, a title won by Luis Suarez, Jan Vertonghen and Wilfried Bony in three of the previous four seasons.

Over the last couple of friendlies, Blind has been utilised as a left wing-back in a 5-3-2 and in the centre of a four-man midfield, with Louis Van Gaal clearly a fan of his talents. Indeed, the veteran’s recent appointment as United boss has prompted suggestions that the two may re-unite at Old Trafford, though with Van Gaal apparently looking to secure a deal for Luke Shaw, it’s more likely that he’ll be used in the middle of the park if he does indeed make his way over here over the summer.

From a Fantasy perspective, Blind offers little in the way of attacking returns (one goal and one assist last year) though a potential role in the centre of midfield affords us an out of position prospect, given he is classified as a defender by most games – 5.3 in FantasyiTeam, and $135k in Fox Sports underlines his cut-price appeal.

United fans and potential Fantasy suitors can check out this footage some of the skills which will surely see him become a fans’ favourite if the Red Devils step up their reported interest.

Fabian Schar

An all-action centre-half at both ends of the pitch, Schar is likely to have cemented a place in the Switzerland starting XI after excelling towards the end of the qualifying campaign. Handed his first start with four of the 10 fixtures remaining, the 22-year-old centre-half ended his nation’s top scorer after notching three times to help cement their progress.

It’s not just at international level that Schar (available for 5.1 in FantasyiTeam, and $120k in Fox Sports) has impressed in the final third. In 36 appearances over all competitions for Basel in 2013/14, he found the net on six occasions – a real threat in the air from set-pieces and corners who is also confident with spot-kicks, he also supplied three assists, with his distribution from the back key to the Swiss side’s counter-attacking. This outrageous 60-yard lob further illustrates his eye for goal.

Dortmund were one of the first clubs to be linked with a move, though Premier League suitors have apparently arrived in the form of United, Arsenal and Tottenham, in particular, and with Schar reportedly available for £10m, agent Dimitrios Papadopoulos admitted:

“I can confirm we have had contact with English clubs who want to sign him. There is also interest from Italian and German clubs, but we have more contact from England.”

Erik Durm

A knee injury to Dortmund team-mate Marcel Schmelzer ensured the left-back’s place in Germany’s 23-man squad by Joachim Low. Durm’s rise to prominence has been a remarkable one – the 22-year-old initially joined the Bundesliga side as a forward in 2012 before he was transformed into a full-back by Jurgen Klopp only last summer.

Durm battled for game time with Schmelzer over the course of 2013/14 and resultantly started 14 of his side’s Bundesliga matches, though also played seven of his side’s Champions League fixtures as his manager looked to hand him experience on the bigger stage. With five assists to his name over all competitions, Durm is very much an attack-minded player –previously utilised as a left winger, he has the speed and ability to take on opponents, whilst in front of goal, he delivered a reasonable 13 goals in 33 games for Mainz’ reserves prior to joining Klopp’s side.

Klopp himself has been quick to praise the youngster’s displays in an incredible turnaround in fortunes:

“Durm has a lot of quality and he seems to be faster than, for example, Schmelzer. It doesn’t surprise me that he has developed so quickly. His journey is not over. We didn’t hesitate to play him against Real Madrid and Bayern. The boy is one thing above all: patient enough to work on himself.”

Certainly, whilst an opener with Portugal is hardly enticing, Durm then has back-to-back games against Ghana and USA to boost his points potential. Considerably cheaper than the rest of Low’s defensive regulars across the Fantasy games (5.4 FantasyiTeam, and $135k in Fox Sports) Durm looks a real under the radar option for those keen to invest in the Germany backline ahead of those final two Group G showdowns in particular.