Forget Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo - 11 young players to watch during La Liga season

Can anyone step up and fill Spain's Neymar-shaped hole?

Marco Asensio could break into the starting XI this season (Getty Images)

The new La Liga season kicks off on Friday night as Real Madrid and Barcelona go head-to-head in Spain with the chasing pack hoping to nuzzle in on the spoils.

Two of the best La Liga players of the past few seasons will not be present on the opening day however, with Cristiano Ronaldo suspended for the first four games of the season and Neymar now with Paris Saint-Germain following his £200m world-record move.

But, that does leave room for some up-and-coming youngsters to fill the void and steal the spotlight in the opening weeks of the season.

Here are 11 players to keep an eye out for in Spain this season…

Goalkeeper

Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao)

Well, with a first name like that, there was only one position the young Basque was going to end up. The 22-year-old may be slightly shorter than the current crop of world’s best goalkeepers – Manuel Neuer, Thibaut Courtois and compatriot David de Gea – at 6ft 1in, but he more than makes up for that with his athleticism and command of the box.

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Arrizabalaga became a regular fixture for Athletic Bilbao and the Spain U21 side last year after a successful loan spell at Valladolid in Segunda. He earned a call up to the senior national team after keeping eight clean sheets in his 23 La Liga appearances last season and is being touted as a possible replacement for Keylor Navas at Real Madrid.

Defenders

Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad)

The right-back is another supposed target of Real Madrid – as well as Barcelona – albeit one who is very much not for sale – according to Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay.

Odriozola burst onto the scene last season following Joseba Zaldua’s injury at Anoeta and kept the senior man out of the team as La Real finished with Europa League qualification, earning himself a bumper five-year contract in the process. Positionally sound, very, very quick and runs up and down the right-flank as if he possesses lungs the size of tennis courts.

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Mauricio Lemos (Las Palmas)

The 21-year-old enjoyed a fairly messy period of loan spells after making the move to Europe with Russian side Rubin Kazan. But after establishing himself in La Liga last season, the Uruguayan has caught the eye of Barcelona and a handful of Premier League clubs for his impressive displays at the heart of the Las Palmas defence.

With his bushy hair do, ability to roam out of defence and spray passes and more than occasional rash tackles (11 yellow cards in 33 games), there is an air of David Luiz about him. Oh, and he’s not bad at set pieces either…

Theo Hernandez (Real Madrid)

The 19-year-old defender impressed so much while on loan with Alaves last season – helping the Basque side to a top half finish and the Copa del Rey final – that Real Madrid were persuaded to break their non-aggression pact with Atletico and trigger his €24m release clause. Theo’s was the first significant move between the cross-town rivals since Santiago Solari went the same way in 2000 and has not gone down well on the red and white side of the Spanish capital.

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Blessed with power, speed and the clichéd “good feet for a big man”, the young Frenchman has everything in his armoury. His biggest challenge will be getting a place in the first-team at Santiago Bernabeu ahead of Marcelo.

Midfielders

Javier Ontiveros (Malaga)

The 19-year-old broke into the Malaga first-team last year, becoming a regular on the right-wing as the south coast club finished 11th.

While not blessed with pace, the winger’s tricky footwork and accurate delivery will set up plenty of goals for teammates – as Sandro Ramirez – who subsequently joined Everton – found out last season.

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Born in Marbella, the Spain U19 international is said to have left the Real Betis academy on bad terms as a youngster but has impressed since joining Malaga in 2010.

“He is taking big steps to becoming a top professional. He is giving us what we’re looking for,” Malaga boss, Michel, said last year. Expect plenty more from him this season.

Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid)

Following a tug of war between Real Madrid and Barcelona, Ceballos – as so many other talented youngsters seem to have in recent years – ended up in the capital this summer. The 21-year-old came through the ranks at Real Betis after being released by Sevilla thanks to a chronic bronchitis problem.

He became a regular in the first-team during the Verdiblancos promotion campaign in Segunda in 2015/16 but struggled to maintain his place in the La Liga side until the appointment of Victor last November. He finally settled into midfield and helped the Andalucians comfortably avoid relegation last term, before being named player of the tournament as Spain reached the final of the European U21 Championships.

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In Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric, Ceballos has the best midfield in the world from which to learn his craft – but he would be well advised to stay logged out of Twitter.

Pablo Fornals (Villarreal)

A big season for Malaga last term earned the 21-year-old Spaniard a move back to Villarreal this summer. The central midfielder began his youth career with El Submarino Amarillo and looks set to play a crucial role as they push for a top four place this term.

Assured in possession and an adept dribbler, Fornals has caught the eye with a number of spectacular long-range goals but his knack for shielding his back four and nicking the ball from opposition attackers means he is the complete midfielder. Looks destined for big things.

Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad)

Along with Odriozola, the 20-year-old is another promising youngster to graduate from the La Real academy. Given his first-team debut by a certain David Moyes back in October 2015, Oyarzabal has become a mainstay, playing all 38 league games last term.

A technically gifted playmaker who more often than not lines up on the left flank, Oyarzabal has already been capped by the national team. Another big season at Anoeta will undoubtedly see Europe’s biggest clubs come knocking.

Carlos Soler (Valencia)

The Mestalla is hardly the easiest place to learn your craft at the moment, but the 20-year-old playmaker impressed last term after making the step up to the first-team.

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Soler was linked with a move to Manchester United after than run, but eventually signed a new contract with the club he joined as a seven-year-old.

Like to play in the middle of midfield and is adept at making penetrating runs from deep. Already rated at £25m, if he enjoy another strong run this season and can add a few more goals to his game, the big clubs will undoubtedly come sniffing again, particularly if Valencia’s woes continue.

Forwards

Marco Asensio (Real Madrid)

If the football world was unsure of Marco Asensio’s talent before this week then his two performances in the Super Copa against Barcelona really made everyone sit up and notice.

The young forward also scored a stunning hat-trick in Spain’s opening encounter at the European Under-21 Championship, the quality of which you are unlikely to see matched at any level in the next 12 months. Blessed with lightning speed, footwork which can dazzle and a left foot that leaves goal nets living in fear, the 21-year-old has everything in his locker.

Signed from Real Mallorca for just €4m in 2014, he has now racked up 40 senior appearances for Real Madrid - albeit mostly from the bench. Could this season be the season he truly arrives on the world stage? You wouldn’t bet against it.

Adalberto Peñaranda (Malaga)

The young Venezuelan was signed by Udinese in 2015 and has since spent his time travelling around the Pozzo triangle. He spent the 2015/16 season on-loan at Granada before being signed by Watford.

While new Hornets boss Marco Silva is thought to be keen having Peñaranda at Vicarage Road this season, work permit problems mean it will probably be another year before we see him in the Premier League.

A striker of undoubted talent who can play anywhere across the frontline, there is a hint of Neymar in the 20-year-old’s technique.

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He captained his country to the U20 World Cup final and will be quickly looking to banish his missed his spot-kick in the penalty shootout from his memory. Thankfully he should enjoy plenty more goal scoring opportunities while on loan at Malaga than he did during his second spell at Granada last term.