Under-20 World Cup: a guide to players and coaches to look out for

Before men’s tournament starts in Argentina on Saturday we pick out individuals to keep an eye on and some missing stars

Players to watch

Niko Takahashi Cendagorta, Japan: The full-back is eligible for Spain and Argentina in addition to Japan, where his mother is from. She left Japan to move to England to study, before settling in Catalonia. Takahashi likes to push forward from left-back and is very comfortable in possession, unsurprisingly for someone who has been part of the Barcelona setup for four years, and started out by playing futsal. Japan worked hard to make Takahashi part of their setup, because he has been approached by Argentina and Spain, calling him up to an under-19 squad when he was 16.

Maximo Perrone, Argentina: Manchester City are no mugs in the South American transfer market, as their acquisition of Julián Álvarez shows. The striker became a world champion months after moving to City from Argentina and Maximo Perrone will be looking to do the same. The 20-year-old midfielder joined from Vélez Sarsfield in January and has made two first-team appearances under Pep Guardiola. A composed presence in front of the defence, the left-footed Perrone is an elegant passer who traditionally played above his age group in Argentina.

Cade Cowell, USA: The tournament could be the start of a busy summer for the San Jose Earthquakes winger. The 19-year-old is reportedly attracting interest from across Europe. A full international after receiving his debut cap two months after turning 17, Cowell has continued to impress with his skill and physicality. He has a mindset of self-improvement, sometimes being told to rest by club staff because of fear he could cause damage through overexertion. Last year he helped the USA win the Concacaf Under-20 title.

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Pape Diop, Senegal: The midfielder signed for the Belgian club Zulte Waregem from Diambars in Senegal last September but has played only 32 minutes for them. Although he is taking time to make his mark with his club, Diop is building a reputation thanks to his performance at the Afcon Under-20 competition, where Senegal beat their fellow World Cup qualifiers Gambia in the final. He scored an impressive headed hat-trick to knock out the hosts Egypt and won the Golden Boot with five goals – an impressive feat from midfield. The pick of them came in the semi-final against Tunisia when he fired in from 25 yards.

Coaches to keep an eye on

Bobby Mimms, Fiji: When the name Bobby Mimms crops up, many people think of the man who spent the 1994-95 season on the bench for Blackburn as backup to Tim Flowers. The 64-year-old’s colourful coaching career has taken in time in India, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Bahrain, not to mention Hull City and Bolton. Fiji are not expected to do much in Argentina but the fact they have qualified is incredible.

Darren Bazeley, New Zealand: Speaking of mid-90s English players you almost certainly can’t remember, New Zealand have one of their own. Bazeley was a dependable full-back for clubs beginning with W – Watford, Wolves and Walsall – before finding his true calling in New Zealand. After three years playing in the country, Bazeley turned to coaching, spending most of the next decade in the national setup. Bazeley, who has gained New Zealand citizenship, led the team to the Oceania Under-20 title last year. He took caretaker charge of the men’s national team in March and is considered a candidate to take the reins permanently.

Javier Mascherano, Argentina: The former Liverpool and Barcelona midfielder is in his first coaching role. He won 147 caps, so knows a thing or two about international football. Mascherano has brought his very disciplined playing style to coaching. As a player he won the Olympics but fell short at the World Cup, collecting a runners-up medal in 2014, so will be aiming to go one better with his fledglings.

Links with England

Josh Laqeretabua, Fiji: England’s interest is not limited to the players called up by Ian Foster; a number of others have links to the country but are representing another nation. Charlton’s Laqeretabua has been called up to represent Fiji, where his parents were born. The 17-year-old helped Charlton’s under-18s win the title this season and is part of an exciting crop at the south London club.

Alexei Rojas, Colombia: The goalkeeper was born in Basildon and played for numerous clubs in the area before moving to Arsenal in 2019. Rojas is also eligible to play for Russia, through his mother.

Jay Herdman, New Zealand: The Herdmans are no strangers to international football. The midfielder Jay is the son of the Durham-born Canada head coach John, who took the team to the Qatar World Cup.

Alexander Aoraha, Iraq: The Londoner has an English mother and Iraqi father, who is from Baghdad and grew up there as a Liverpool supporter. Aoraha has been at QPR since the age of 10 and is yet to make a first-team appearance.

Because the Under-20 World Cup falls outside Fifa’s rules that oblige clubs to send players called up by their countries, a number of Premier League prospects have been stopped from travelling. They include Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho (Argentina) and Zidane Iqbal (Iraq), Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte (Argentina) and Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka (England).