Manchester United's 'next Van Persie' claims spot in U21 Team of the Month for June

The Premier League, LaLiga and Serie A all returned in June for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic put football on pause, while the Bundesliga matched to conclude its season. With four of the five major European leagues in action, we can no do our first Team of the Month for the best young players on the continent since March.  

In order to qualify for the all-star XI, outfielders aged 21 and under and goalkeepers aged 23 and under must have made at least two league appearances during the month of June. Here we will reveal the full XI and best rated player per position band, starting with defenders and working our way towards the strikers.

Defender: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) - 7.54 rating

Trent Alexander-Arnold can now call himself a Premier League winner after Liverpool secured their first league title in 30 years at the end of last month. The 21-year-old pretty much picked up from where he left off pre-lockdown, scoring a superb free-kick in Liverpool's 4-0 win over Crystal Palace in their final game in June.

Midfielder: Michael Cuisance (Bayern Munich) - 7.73 rating

With the Bundesliga title wrapped up, Hansi Flick was able to give some of Bayern Munich's emerging talents a run out in their last few games of the season and French midfielder Michael Cuisance certainly took his opportunity. The 20-year-old scored his first senior goal in Bayern's final league game of the season and averaged a successful dribble every 24 minutes of playing time across his three appearances last month.

Forward: Phil Foden (Manchester City) - 8.34 rating

Phil Foden picked the ideal opportunity to showcase his best talents amid Leroy Sane's immiment switch to Bayern Munich. Foden scored three goals across his two league appearances in June, at an average of a goal every 34.7 minutes of playing time. The 20-year-old also completed a successful dribble every 17.3 minutes of playing time in the Premier League in June.

Notable Absentee: Christian Pulisic (Chelsea) - 7.74 rating

Christian Pulisic has helped put Chelsea in pole position to secure a top four finish in the Premier League with vital displays in successive 2-1 wins over Aston Villa and Manchester City in June. Pulisic scored in both league games but misses out on a spot in the XI to Phil Foden's superior rating on the left wing.