Fulham will be planning for next season after the sacking of Claudio Ranieri and the defeat at Southampton that left them ten points off safety - and with the hiring of Scott Parker as boss the youngsters at the side are sure to benefit.

Ryan Sessegnon saw game time limited under the Italian while the path to the first team from the Academy was all but eroded, something that Slavisa Jokanovic and the Academy staff worked hard to set up.

But now with Parker as the caretaker boss the youngsters at Fulham will benefit from his coaching having been manager of Tottenham Hotspur's U18 team last season before taking the job as first team coach at Craven Cottage.

Relegation may be looming, but there is quality in the youth teams at Motspur Park.

With that in mind, we've taken a look at an XI of Fulham youngsters that will give fans something to be positive about in the near future.

Goalkeeper

Luca Ashby-Hammond

(Image: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

One of Fulham's most promising goalkeepers in the Academy, Luca Ashby-Hammond is a regular for the U23 side at just 17-years-old.

He's trained with the first team in the past, most notably at the end of last season, and has gained international recognition after being called up by the England U17s and, most recently, U18s.

Ashby-Hammond is everything you want in the modern keeper - he's comfortable with the ball at his feet while his distribution is one of his standout chracterisitcs.

And let's not forget his penalty taking skills - he's more than happy to step up to the spot and smash a spot kick into the top corner, doing so with both Fulham U18s last season and England U17s in the Euros.

(Image: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

There's a strong goalkeeping pedigree in Fulham's Academy with Marcus Bettinelli the poster boy for aspiring keepers, there's certainly a well-trodden pathway to follow.

Ashby-Hammond has all the time in the world to progress too, but should Fulham go down this season there's no reason to suggest he can't do a job at Championship level.

Defenders

Steven Sessegnon

There's not much to say about Steven Sessegnon that most people reading this won't already know.

With the struggles at right back this season the 18-year-old is one of the players that some fans feel should be pushing for a first team slot, with a feeling of frustration coming through that he's not making the bench.

Under Slavisa Jokanovic, he was involved heavily with the first team, starting the 3-0 victory over Millwall in the Carabao Cup while finding himself on the bench numerous times, including in the league against Arsenal.

Under Ranieri, those appearances have all but evaporated and although he is still training with the first team, he's played more and more U23 football, including in Monday's win over Colchester.

Those performances in the cup showed he's more than capable of playing senior football - if Fulham are relegation bound, they need look no further than Sessegnon.

(Image: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Marlon Fossey

For me, Marlon Fossey was one of the stars of Fulham's pre-season.

The 20-year-old had been training with the first team at the back end of last season and found himself starting in a fair few of the pre-season games as Jokanovic filled his threadbare squad with youth players.

He looked comfortable on the ball, got down the wing well and was strong in the tackle and by all accounts looked like he was going to play some part in the Serbian's squad.

But he's had terrible luck with injuries and suffered a torn ACL at the start of the season that ruled him out of this entire campaign.

However, his quality was clear for everyone to see and hopefully with a good pre-season under his belt he can kick on next season.

(Image: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Mortiz Jenz

A 19-year-old defender who arrived at Fulham from Tennis Borussia Berlin, where scouts noticed him after the two sides competed in the Sparkasse & VGH Cup - an indoor tournament that the Academy regularly competes in.

Jenz was with the first team during pre-season and played for the first team during the early stages of their summer schedule.

He's 6ft 2ins, strong in the air and extremely talented on the ball - he had one of the best pass completion rates for the U18s and U23s a couple of seasons ago.

Jenz could probably be called the Denis Odoi of the U23s (not for his height though) - he is comfortable playing across the back four and has featured and both right and centre back during this current campaign.

There's a lot of time for Jenz to develop, but he's certainly one to keep an eye on in the defensive side of things.

Cody Drameh

Another 16-year-old who has been featuring regularly for Fulham's U23 team - Cody Drameh got himself noticed by the wider football world with a stunning goal against Norwich U23s.

Drameh regularly plays at right back and is gaining plaudits for his performances in Mark Pembridge's squad this season, with it being believed that he's attracting the interest of a number of other Premier League clubs.

He was another of the standout players in last night's 5-0 victory, although he switched flanks to the left with Sessegnon playing at right back and scored the second goal for his side.

(Image: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)

He only turned 18 this year so there's plenty of time for Drameh to kick on from his early scholar years.

Midfielders

Matt O'Riley

O'Riley was the star of the show for the U23s on Monday night and demonstrated his wide range of abilities that has him billed as one of the Academy's most exciting prospects.

Jokanovic was a big fan of O'Riley and had the youngster involved in all aspects of the first team last season, from being on the bench to being part of the matchday squad when he wasn't included in the 18.

It looked like the 18-year-old was on the verge of a breakthrough, but the promotion to the Premier League and the sacking of Jokanovic and hiring of Ranieri has put the brakes on that somewhat.

(Image: Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

He's played regularly for the U23s and has ran the show from his midfield spot, getting attention from some of the big clubs on the continent, including Borussia Dortmund, as they look for English youth to follow in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho.

Fulham will need to be careful with their management of O'Riley - he's clearly ready for first team football and in my opinion, if they get relegated this season, they should build their new side and philosophy around the talented midfielder to become the new Tom Cairney of the side.

Out of all the youngsters on this list, O'Riley should be playing first team football next season.

Harvey Elliott

By now, I think most of the UK has heard of Elliott after his appearance in the Carabao Cup, with the papers the next day full of pictures of him and how he had been taking tests in the day at school before playing for the side in the evening.

(Image: Steve Bardens/Getty Images))

I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or what, but the age at which footballers start to make their marks on senior sides seems to be becoming younger and younger nowadays.

Technically gifted, able to beat players for fun and with a lovely shot on him, Elliott has the makings of a star and has been linked with the likes of Chelsea and Barcelona already.

He's been playing in both the U18s and U23s this season and has just returned from international duty with England U17s, where he enjoyed a fine tournament and continued to make a name for himself.

The potential for Elliott is unbound and while next season is still too early for him as he focuses on his studies, Fulham have a really exciting talent on their hands.

Tyrese Francois

Tyrese Francois is one of the most technically gifted footballers the Academy has on their books at this moment in time.

The 18-year-old likes to sit in the hole in midfield, pick the ball up from the centre backs and distribute it, much like the role that Cairney plays in the first team.

He's pacy, while he has a strong reading of the game that means he is able to win the ball and be in the right place at the right time in the deep lying midfield role.

Francois impressed in two mid-season friendlies with Southampton last season and travelled with the squad to Murcia during the first international break as Jokanovic gave him more exposure to the first team, alongside the likes of Elliott and Matt O'Riley.

He's had some of Europe's big names looking at him too, with the likes of Werder Bremen having a look at him recently, but next season can be a real chance for Francois to go for a first team spot.

Fabio Carvalho

Another youngster playing well above his age group, Fabio Carvalho is a regular for the U23s despite being just 16-years-old.

He's been capped by England at both U16 and U17 level, but also qualifies for Portugal through his family who chose to relocate to England when he was young.

A very capable number 10, Carvalho possesses a great touch as well as possessing all the necessary technical skills to flourish in that midfield role for the Fulham youth teams.

He's been tracked with some of the giants of Portuguese football, including Benfica, but he signed a scholarship deal at Craven Cottage at the start of this season to commit his future to the club.

Like Elliott, Carvalho is a very exciting prospect at Fulham and was out on U17 duty with the Three Lions in the past week.

Sonny Hilton

While we're on the subject of young, exciting prospects that are already playing for England, let's talk about Sonny Hilton.

Fulham fought off Premier League suitors to sign Hilton from Tranmere Rovers two years ago and he has impressed in the youth teams ever since.

He's now a regular at both U23 and U18 level and his ability to dictate games and grab a match by the scruff of its neck and turn it into his side's favour are real standouts.

Hilton has represented England at U16 level and is another that the club have high hopes for - he signed his first pro deal in 2017 and signed another deal in the summer of this year.

He also holds a black belt in Taekwondo.

Striker

Jean-Pierre Tiehi

The 17-year-old striker has struggled with injuries since joining the club from a small club in northern France last season, but when fit provides everything you'd want from a striker.

His physicality is unrivalled at his age level and his explosiveness is something that defenders in the U18 age group struggle to deal with.

He signed his first professional deal recently, committing to Fulham until 2021.

Tiehi is very raw, but there's so much potential for growth in the Academy and while he's a long-term project, he could well be the next big striker to come through the youth ranks.

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