This summerās European Championships are the perfect opportunity for young stars to shine on the world stage. Nations have selected deep, diverse squads including several prospect players that have the potential to surpass their limits and continue strong form from the regular season. Keep reading to see our selection of young talents that are looking to dominate this year at the Euros, and how their performances this summer could dictate some price movement in their cards.
Phil Foden – England and Manchester City
Photo by Sky Sports
Phil Foden has had a whirlwind year, the culmination of a lifetime of obsession over the beautiful game and Manchester City. Born and bred in Stockport, Manchester, Foden has represented City since he was four years old and was brought into the first team by Pep Guardiola. The Barcelona legend and now Manchester City Manager said āPhil Foden is most talented player I have ever seen in my careerā ā this comes from the man that coached a young Lionel Messi at Barca – and that heās the perfect player to fill the spot left by the departed David Silva.
Philās season has been nothing short of sensational, winning the Premier League title, showing immense promise as a creative playmaker, leader and lethal goal-scoring capability. Heās set to play for England alongside seasoned vets like Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson, as well as a young attacking core made up of some other promising players: Mason Mount of Chelsea, Jack Grealish of Aston Villa, and Jadon Sancho whoās seen huge success in the Bundesliga.
His ability to control and lead the attack will be scrutinised by many, and a performance in line with his killer season in the domestic league will no doubt solidify him as a first-team starter for the reigning Premier League champions next season ā not to mention increase demand in his cards.
Marcus Rashford – England and Manchester United
Photo by The Guardian
Marcus Rashford is, undoubtedly, the England sideās poster boy alongside captain Harry Kane. The youngster had a successful, albeit frustrating season at Manchester United finishing 2nd place in the Premier League behind rivals Manchester City. 11 goals in the season doesnāt quite show out how good a player he is; with 0.9 goal contributions per 90 minutes, he seems a far more formidable attacking forward, facilitating Unitedās flawless record away from home ā a record that was last boasted by Arsenalās āInvinciblesā season nearly two decades ago.
Rashford is a fan favourite superstar ā and not just in Manchester. Through the pandemic he was awarded an MBE (a national award for public service reserved for very few people) for his extraordinary efforts to publicize and address social inequality in the UK through campaigning to extend the āfree school mealsā over summer holidays. In many ways heās a national hero, an icon for the team and everyone wants to see him do well at the Euros this summer. Thereās no doubt that weāll see him feature in the English campaign prominently, so a strong individual performance has a massive effect on the success of the nation as a whole.
Ā Joao Felix – Portugal and Atletico Madrid
Photo by Daily Mail
Portuguese prospect player Joao Felix has had freedom to express himself confidently throughout Atletico Madridās title-winning campaign this season in the La Liga, and coached by the brilliant Diego Simeone heās been able to develop his skillset with mentors all around him. Even alongside seasoned talents like Luis SuĆ”rez and Koke, there have been moments of brilliance from the 21-year-old.
Joao Felix has big shoes to fill, joining the ranks of a star-studded Portugal side that currently holds the European championship, and will slot into their attack alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes. These two players, in particular, will be able to help Felix take his already prominent talent to the next level, and as Portugal find themselves in arguable the toughest group, reaching the levels of success garnered five years ago will require everyone to step up to the plate and perform. The more game time we see from Portugal, the more weāll get to watch and enjoy Joao Felix exhibit his flair-laden talent.
Kylian Mbappe – France and Paris Saint Germain
Photo by UEFA
Since his record-breaking transfer to Paris Saint-Germain and World Cup 2018 win, all eyes have been on Kylian Mbappe, and itās easy to understand why. He plays with confidence, swagger, and has an otherworldly ability to find goal more often than many. This year he secured 2nd in the Ligue 1 title as the teamās ā and leagueās ā top scorer, linking up with their heavy-hitting, South American attack force of Neymar and Angel Di Maria. Not stopping there, he was awarded the Ligue 1 Player of the Year trophy, featured in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, and consistently showed out at a high level despite impromptu coaching and teammate disruptions throughout the year: all very positive signs of a playerās development.
Kylianās international record will let him approach the Euros with utmost confidence, as he does every game, so itās common agreement that weāll get to see a good show of football from the young star this summer. The French team is star-studded and will put Mbappe alongside some big talent: Antoine Griezmann, Karim Benzema, and NāGolo Kante barely scrapes the surface. France, alongside England and Belgium, are the highest-rated team in the competition ā it wouldnāt be a big surprise to see them take home the win this year, and itād be a massive achievement for the 22-year-old superstar with the world at his feet.
Kai Havertz – Germany and Chelsea
Photo by Goal.com
Havertz came into the Chelsea team as one of Frank Lampardās big summer signings ā alongside Timo Werner he was set to run the attack and dictate the flow of the game for the London club. The pair had both enjoyed amazing seasons in the Bundesliga throughout the 19/20 season, but for the first half of the 20/21 season Kai failed to perform. Chelsea had Lampard fired, and saw German speaker Thomas Tuchel fill the managerial position in order to squeeze the most out of the expensive summer signing. For many, this was a massive disappointment ā but the latter end of the season saw Havertz looking more like himself, perhaps finally recovering from persistent injury and a run-in with Coronavirus last year.
Finding his feet at the club meant gelling with the formidable midfield leader Mason Mount, and Tuchel managed to find a place for Kai on the pitch playing the striker role as he did for Bayer Leverkusen last year. In this position, heās been able to showcase the natural aptitude for the game that he undoubtedly possesses: strong finishing on both feet, physical strength that allows him to bring teammates into the game, and incredibly potent passing ability ā averaging 41 passes a game in the striker position. A return to international football will see Havertz play alongside a crop of amazing players, some of which will facilitate his growth and foster some confidence from the 21-year-old. Not stopping there, Havertz proved instrumental to the teamās victory over Manchester City last month, which saw Chelsea take home the UEFA Champions League trophy after Kai scored decisively. Success in this tournament ā which isnāt impossible being part of such a strong national team ā will mean more game time for the Chelsea side next season, and more chances to prove himself.
