The first-ever winter world cup is almost here. It’s time to look at which teams are the strongest and which players are the ones to watch out for specifically. In order to list down the players to look out for, we have specifically looked at the U23 category and players who play quite often for their respective clubs this season. It is to be noted that, these players might not start all the matches for their teams in the World Cup and could potentially miss out on getting called up altogether, but if and when they do represent their country in Qatar, they definitely have the potential to be game changers.

Group D consists of defending champions France, Australia, who were in France’s group in 2018 as well, Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark and Tunisia.

The below visualization represents the U23 players to watch out for from Group D. All data is from the current season.

Aurélien Tchouaméni | Real Madrid | France | 22 years old

Real Madrid beat a number of top clubs in Europe to secure the signature of midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni from Monaco for a record fee in the recently concluded summer transfer window. There is a lot of talk about the French international’s fee so far but he seems to have settled in well at the Spanish capital. Having made his international debut in September of last year, 22-year-old Tchouaméni has gone on to become an integral part of France’s squad over the last year. Given that N’Golo Kanté and Paul Pogba are injury doubts for the World Cup, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Madrid midfielder starts every game in Qatar. Primarily, Aurélien Tchouaméni has played as the deepest midfielder for Madrid and France this season. The midfielder plays a key part in the build-up on attack and hence ranks high for progressive passing metrics. Defensively, he is a strong tackler and has a good awareness of the game. His offensive numbers don’t rack up like his defensive ones but that is not his primary role. Aurélien Tchouaméni, in his first world cup, will be expected to play an integral part in helping France progress to the latter stages of the tournament.

Riley McGree | Middlesborough | Australia | 23 years old

Middlesborough midfielder Riley McGree made his senior debut for Australia in June 2021. Riley joined Middlesborough in January 2022 after being a regular at Birmingham City on loan from Charlotte FC. Playing as an attacking midfielder, Riley ranks 89th percentile for Expected Goals(xG) per 90. His creative numbers are not very good. However, he has shown the ability to be closer to the goal and score/create often every time he has played. McGree, after some off-field issues, is back on the Australian squad regularly and is expected to be a part of Australia’s journey this World Cup.

Mikkel Damsgaard | Brentford | Denmark | 22 years old

Mikkel Damsgaard caught the eye of everyone at Euro 2021 but even before that the midfielder was one of the biggest prospects to come out of the Nordsjælland academy. One of his best seasons, the 2019-20 campaign for the Danish side, earned him his move to the Italian side Sampdoria. He missed a major chunk of last season because of an injury. In the summer of 2022, Damsgaard secured a move to English side Brentford and has since had a very slow and steady to his Brentford career. The midfielder is quite versatile and can play in any of the attacking midfield positions. Damsgaard is one of the best creators in that Denmark team, probably only next to Christian Eriksen in terms of creating chances. This can be seen in his very high percentile ranking for Key Passes per 90 minutes and Expected Assists(xA) per 90 minutes. Damsgaard is lacking match sharpness before he enters the World Cup period. However, there is still time and Damsgaard, surely, is expected to play a key role in Denmark’s continuous rise on the world stage.

Hannibal Mejbri | Birmingham City | Tunisia | 19 years old

One of the brightest talents to come out of the Manchester United academy in recent years is midfielder Hannibal Mejbri. The 19-year-old Tunisian international is known for his ruggedness on the pitch. Mejbri carries a lot of swagger in his way of playing. Currently on loan at Championship club Birmingham City, Mejbri has had an excellent start to his senior-level club career. Having represented France at U16 level, Mejbri made his senior international for Tunisia only last year. All in all, Mejbri is definitely one to watch out for from not only Tunisia but the entire list of players this World Cup.