10 Early Favourites For World Cup 2018 Best Young Player Award

There aren't many 20 year olds who could get into the Juventus team, but Uruguayan defensive midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur just finished a season in which he played 20 times in Serie A for the Italian champions and has proven himself as one of the latest and greatest South American talents, with a very bright future ahead of him.

A tireless, tenacious defensive midfielder, Bentancur was purchased by Juventus from Boca Juniors back in 2015 as part of the deal that saw Carlos Tevez return to his boyhood club. The young Uruguayan got his first senior call-up last year and has gone on to earn six caps for his country.

Skilled with both feet, Bentancur primarily plays defensively but is perfectly capable of getting forward and contributing to attacking moves as well. A smart, technically-gifted all-round midfielder, he brings a lot to Uruguay's squad and will attempt to stamp his authority on the nation's group games as they hope to improve on their round of 16 exit at the 2014 World Cup.