Bolton Wanderers: Top 5 Youth Team Prospects of Recent Years

So given the spate of recent Top 5 opinion pieces, I thought it was timely to consider the Top 5 best youth team prospects of recent years.

Bolton Wanderers have a rash of exciting youngsters coming through the ranks at the moment, with Jamie Thomas, Will Jaaskelainen and Alex Samizadeh to name but three.

They are not alone however, in being highly rated - let's see who makes the cut:

5) Ólafur Páll Snorrason

Icelandic forward Snorrason spent two years at Bolton Wanderers back in 1998, allegedly turning down Bayern Munich and Juventus at the time to join his mentor Gudni Bergsson at the club. His reported potential however was never recognised, with his career winding down in his homeland with the likes of Fyklir, Valur and FH - no, me neither. He also made his sole international appearance in 2010.

4) Jamie Thomas

The latest pretender to the crown, Thomas signed from Blackpool and has worked his way through the ranks with style - he is currently ripping up trees alongside new recruit, Iranian-born striker Alex Samizadeh in the reserve side. Having chosen to play for Wales, he is gaining more and more experience with every passing week, and has to cope with the clamouring masses on Twitter desperate for his inclusion in Neil Lennon's first team.

3) Scott Jamieson

Australian left-back Jamieson joined Bolton in 2006 from New South Wales based club Blacktown FC. Despite only hanging around for two seasons he was very highly thought of - and it was with a great sense of disappointment that he was left on the shelf, unable to make his mark at the Reebok Stadium. He revived his career with a move back home, where he represented Adelaide United, Sydney FC, Perth Glory and most recently Western Sydney Wanderers with distinction. He also has four international caps for the Socceroos.

2) Duong Thach

Good grief, this lad was meant to be the one. The One. The Vietnamese forward started at Swedish second division side Gefle but soon was on trial with the likes of Ajax and Middlesbrough before signing for Bolton in April 2002 aged just 17. Despite being so highly regarded he never got into the first team - a victim of the galaxy of stars at manager Sam Allardyce's disposal in the first team.

1) Aaron Mooy

Another Australian on the list, Aaron Mooy was a fixture in the reserve side between 2008 and 2010, impressing with his range of passing and elegance of moment in midfield. Considered to be the best Australian talent since Harry Kewell, Mooy nevertheless failed to make the grade at Wanderers despite the hype that surrounded him. He moved North to join St. Mirren in 2010, before winning the A-League with Western Sydney Wanderers in 2013. Mooy currently anchors the midfield for Melbourne City - the partner club to our Manchester City - and has scored four goals in eight international appearances for Australia.