A list of young talents to watch at the Euro

The upcoming European Championships, which are already knocking on the door, will feature a number of great and well-known youngsters. However, there will also be talents who are not so well known and this tournament will be an opportunity for them to shine and show their qualities to the whole football world. Let’s take a look together at this selection of ten interesting names that we will probably hear a lot about in the future.

Donyell Malen (22, forward, Netherlands and PSV)

Twenty-two year old Dutchman predominantly playing as a centre forward for PSV. He averaged a goal in every other game, making him the second top scorer in the Eredivisie at the end of the season (19 goals). He is expected to play as a left winger for the national team.

Very quick and accurate movement inside the opposition’s sixteen, very powerful shot with his right foot. Very difficult for defenders to defend due to his activity. He also boasts an incredible flair for finishing from the first touch. He often shows he wants more with his lackluster goal celebrations, and is one of those players who is very confident going for his goal.

Alessandro Bastoni (22, central defender, Italy and Inter Milan)

Even though Bastoni played a fairly crucial role in Inter Milan winning the Serie A trophy, he doesn’t have that much experience on the international stage yet. He has only played five games for the national team. For Inter, he played under Conte in a defensive trio mainly on the left side of the pitch.

He is an intelligent stopper who is very good at sending long passes forward. He doesn’t go into slips too much, he mainly waits for the first movement of the opponent, which he guards in this way during matches. He is a left-footed defender.

It is much more difficult for him to make his way in the national team, the presence of captain Chiellini makes this task very difficult for him so far. Especially when Italy play with four defenders. However, he was given an opportunity in the friendly against Bosnia and it is questionable whether he will play at the Euros. Considering that Chiellini is 36 years old, Italy are well on their way to finding his successor and a potential future conductor of the defence.

Jeremy Doku (19, winger, Belgium and Rennes)

Doku usually starts on the right wing. He was called up to the national team after a remarkable debut season at Rennes, playing in Ligue One.

Most interesting is his direct, unpredictable style of play. He often goes on the dribble between defenders (averaging 8 dribbles per game and 60% of them are successful). He is very difficult to read in one-on-one situations.

This 19-year-old winger is very quick, skilful and can finish very well. He is very popular among Belgian fans. Although he will probably come into games as a substitute, it should really show on the pitch.

Eric Garcia (20, central defender, Spain and Barcelona)

At a very young age, Garcia not only peeked into the Manchester City youth team, but also the Spanish national team. This is quite a difficult task for a 20-year-old who has 11 starts in the Premier League. Garcia is a talent who has been nurtured by Barcelona’s La Masia academy. He returns to the Camp Nou this summer as a free agent.

He is a stopper with extremely good playmaking skills. His passing accuracy is truly impressive (90% success rate). He is used to playing a gradual build-up from the defence. He is also successful in setting up the attack and, at 182 centimetres, can also be a very useful player in the air.

Nuno Mendes (18, left-back, Portugal and Sporting)

Although he has a traditional left-back role in the Portuguese national team, he plays mainly as a left wing-back on the club scene. With Sporting Lisbon last season, he managed to win the title, which the club achieved after an incredible nineteen years.

He will compete for a place in the starting line-up with Raphael Guerreiro in Fernando Santos’ team.

He is one of the most exciting young talents across Europe. Despite being a defender, Mendes’ incredible physical stamina makes him a threat to the opposition throughout the game.

He is very attentive and diligent when defending, but he is also great at playing forward. His transition to the offensive phase makes him a very offensive-minded defender. If he gets enough opportunities, it is obvious that he will be heavily scouted by big club scouts. One of the interested parties for the services of the Portuguese defender is said to be Pep Guardiola.

Marcus Thuram (23, forward, France and Borussia Mönchengladbach)

Marcus Thuram has thrived at Mönchengladbach this season. Despite playing predominantly on the left side of the attack in the Bundesliga, he is capable of occupying almost any attacking position, including the role of centre forward.

A versatile striker who is very valid in aerial duels, not only in attack, but also in defending the opponent’s standards. He is used to increasing the pace of the game quickly and only plays a few touches of the ball to move the game forward as quickly as possible.

Eljif Elmas (21, offensive midfielder, Northern Macedonia and Naples)

Elmas transferred to Napoli for €16 million in 2019. Despite his young age, he has already made 27 national team starts. In March, he scored the winning goal in a memorable 2-1 win against Germany.

He can play as a winger or as a central offensive midfielder. He’s a very good runner, uses both feet very well. He can make great runs into the opposition’s hexagon, where he can also create his own space. He’s good at finishing.

Ilya Zabarnyi (18, central defender, Ukraine and Dynamo Kyiv)

Although he has only played 20 league games in adult football, this 18-year-old is the top prospect from the Ukrainian team.

He is a typical modern central defender. Calm on the ball, he occasionally starts an attack by finding the midfielder with a quick tackle, he does well in the air and is agile enough to deal with fast players.

During the last World Cup qualifying matches at the end of March, he gave a great performance. He is expected to play an important role in the Ukraine team at the championship.

Teun Koopmeiners (23, defensive midfielder, Netherlands and AZ Alkmaar)

Dynamic, intelligent and combative defensive midfielder with the ability to make long accurate passes. The left-footed Dutchman has a great eye for onrushing teammates and overall has great vision on the pitch.

He has scored 26 goals for Alkmaar over the past two seasons, but many of them have come from penalty kicks.

Adam Hložek (18, forward, Czech Republic and Sparta Prague)

For most readers, he probably needs little introduction, but like the other talents, let’s take a look at what the most talented young player from the Czech Republic has done so far.

Hložek has been playing for Sparta’s youth team for three seasons now, scoring his first league goal at the age of sixteen. His expression on the pitch is very mature. After returning to the field from injury, he took his game to the next level during the spring, managing to score 11 goals in twelve games.

Hložek’s talent is known across European clubs and he is not a hidden diamond, but a player that is being watched by many top level European clubs. Scouts have been watching him closely for a number of years, but this year’s Euros could be a major turning point in his career, even though he recently extended his contract with Sparta. A transfer for at least €20 million would definitely be in play.

Physically strong, athletic and a natural finisher. In addition, he is strong in shooting with both feet. He can get into very dangerous positions in the opposition’s whitewash and is also not afraid to shoot from long range.

Source: Transfermarkt