12 Players To Watch At Under-21 Euros

In less than a week, dozens of the brightest young footballers in Europe will come together in Israel for the 2013 Under-21 European Championship. For many players it will be their first time on the big stage and SunSport has picked out 12 who are set to shine.

Wilfried Zaha — England 

Having progressed through the ranks at Crystal Palace, he quickly became a key member of the first team and was named Football League Young Player of the Year in 2011/12.

He continued where he left off last season and was snapped up by former Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson £15million in January, before being loaned back to Selhurst Park for the remainder of the campaign. A starring role in the Championship play-off final followed and, if the 20-year-old can shrug off an ankle injury, he looks set to be a key man in Pearce’s side.

Thomas Ince — England 

The son of former England skipper Paul, 21-year-old Ince has been on the radar of a number of top Premier League clubs for quite a while. The pacy winger ended the season as Blackpool’s top scorer but looks destined to leave the Championship behind him with Liverpool, Spurs and Inter Milan all interested. Ince scored twice for the Under-21s in a friendly against Sweden in February and is likely to form a deadly partnership on the opposite flank to Zaha.

Isco — Spain

As if Spain don’t have enough brilliant attacking midfielders, 21-year-old Isco could emerge to be one of the very best. The Malaga ace bagged 12 goals last season and may well be on his way to join outgoing Malaga boss Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City. Isco is also wanted by Real Madrid, but he says he wants to make sure he doesn't just sit on the bench — something he definitely won’t be doing in Israel.

Thiago — Spain

Partnering Isco in central midfield will be a man who has played more than 50 times for Barcelona and already been capped for the senior Spain side. Thiago made his Barca club debut as an 18-year-old in 2009, although he has struggled to establish himself in the starting line-up this season. He has been linked with a move to Manchester United but says he won’t think about his future until after the U-21 Euros.

Lewis Holtby — Germany

The undoubted stand-out player for Germany, Holtby will be well known to many English fans after moving to Tottenham in January for a bargain £1.5million. The Germany U-21 captain is yet to secure a starting spot at White Hart Lane but has shown glimpses of his huge talent, notably when star man Gareth Bale was injured at the back end of last season. His quick passing and movement means he is a constant threat and he has plenty of European experience under his belt.

Patrick Herrmann — Germany

English fans will be very familiar with watching up-and-coming German footballers after the Champions League final last week, and Herrmann may well be the next one to make his mark.

The Borussia Monchengladbach winger played with Dortmund star Marco Reus at his former club and has taken over his role as the main playmaker. Reportedly wanted by Spurs, Herrmann has just signed a new deal to keep him at Monchengladbach but be prepared for his stock to rise after the U-21 tournament.

Marco Verratti — Italy

One of the best passers of the ball in Israel will be Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Verratti.

The 20-year-old moved to the wealthy French side for around £10million last summer and helped them win Ligue 1 in his first season. Dubbed ‘the next Andrea Pirlo’, expect to see Verratti running the show in England’s opening game with Italy on June 5.

Lorenzo Insigne — Italy

Measuring a tiny 5ft 4in, Insigne is not your typical striker but he looks to have a big future ahead of him. With Ezequiel Lavezzi departing Napoli last summer and Edinson Cavani almost certain to exit in the coming months, 21-year-old Insigne certainly has some big boots to fill at his club. His close control and dribbling skills have already marked him out and he was on the scoresheet as Italy overcame Sweden in the U-21 Euro play-off to book their place at the finals.

Kevin Strootman — Holland

One of the most experienced players at the tournament, and one of the few 23-year-olds, will be Dutch midfielder Strootman. Arguably PSV Eindhoven’s most important player, Strootman was first called up to the senior Holland side in 2011 and has since cemented his place in the heart of midfield. His boss at PSV, Dick Advocaat, has advised him to move on this summer and Strootman may well become David Moyes’ first signing at Manchester United for around £17million.

Luuk de Jong — Holland

One of a load of Dutch players with senior international experience, De Jong has not made quite impact he hoped for this season. Yet another person on this list to play for Borussia Monchengladbach, highly-rated striker De Jong moved to Germany for around £12million last summer but has struggled to secure his place in the starting XI. With six league goals to his name, the one-time Newcastle target still has high hopes and says he wants to move to one of Europe’s bigger sides in the future.

Alan Dzagoev — Russia

The CSKA Moscow attacking midfielder was one of six players to share the Golden Boot in Poland and Ukraine last summer and has been drafted in to help out the youngsters in Israel.

With 27 senior caps already under his belt, Dzagoev’s inclusion will be a huge boost for Russia, despite the fact he will miss the opening game against Spain to play a World Cup qualifier for the senior side.

Havard Nordtveit — Norway

Nordtveit’s name is familiar it may be because he spent three seasons on Arsenal’s books — although he failed to make an appearance for the Gunners. The defensive midfielder spent periods on loan in Spain, Norway and Germany before Arsene Wenger allowed him to leave for Borussia Monchengladbach in 2010. Despite his failure in London, the Norwegian has developed into one of Monchengladbach’s most important players and is now a regular for the senior Norway side.