Euro 2020: Top 5 young footballers to look out for this summer

With Euro 2020 swiftly approaching this summer, we are going to look at five of the best young footballers that might catch your eye at the 16th edition of the UEFA European Championships. For the sake of criteria we are going to only consider players that are 23 years of age or under and have a realistic chance of starting for their national teams this summer. To try and diversify our list we are only going to consider a maximum of one player per country.

5. Kai Havertz - 21 - Midfielder/Forward - Germany

Having signed for Chelsea after an immense breakthrough season at Bayer Leverkusen, Havertz got off to a rocky start but is now flying after linking up with fellow German, Thomas Tuchel, as he arrived as Chelsea's new head coach. He's scored four goals and assisted three in about 1500 minutes of Premier League football and could be on course to win the Champions League with Chelsea this season. One of the best young attacking midfielders on the planet, Havertz can also play up front or on the right wing and adds a spark of creativity, flair and versatility to the German national team. Keep your eyes peeled for some exciting offensive plays this summer from Havertz.

4. Gianluigi Donnarumma - 22 - Goalkeeper - Italy 

Widely dubbed Italy's successor to Gianluigi Buffon of whom he shares the same first name, Donnarumma is only 22 yet he has already made over 200 first team appearances for AC Milan in the Serie A, demonstrating his vast experience and maturity. The goalkeeper with nearly 70 league clean sheets to his name has incredible agility and decision making that provides assurance in defence. With a backline that is not as revered as Italy sides of old, Italy will be relying on Donnarumma to stop the wealth of attacking talents at Euro 2020 this summer.

3. Pedri - 18 - Midfielder - Spain

No one could have predicted the impact Pedri would have at Barcelona this season following his transfer from Las Palmas for just five million euros. Even at the young age of 18, Pedri has slotted straight into a Barcelona side struggling for creativity and his link up with Messi, Griezmann and de Jong has culminated in three goals and three assists in only his second La Liga season. The numbers by themselves may not seem that impressive but Pedri has all the qualities of a young Iniesta or Xavi playing with a football brain well beyond his years.

2. Mason Mount - 22- Midfielder - England

I could have easily chosen Phil Foden over Mount as England's young footballer to look out for but Gareth Southgate seems to prioritise the latter as one of his first-choice midfield options. Mount followed former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard from Derby and burst onto the Premier League this season with six goals and five assists. He has also put on brilliant performances in the Champions League including scoring against Real Madrid in the semi-finals. Mount has the final to look forward to as well as this summer's European Championships in which he will play a big role in potentially guiding England to their first ever victory in this tournament.

1. Kylian Mbappe - 22 - Forward - France

Of course at number one on our list is arguably the best footballer on the planet. Still only at 22, Mbappe is the top scorer in Ligue 1 having scored 25 goals and assisted a further 7 in Ligue 1 this season, playing a role in 40% of PSG's league goals as they push to retain the title. One of the only young footballers in the world that have a claim to the Ballon d'Or this year, Mbappe's explosive pace combined with his incredible quick dribbling and elite finishing ability will be crucial in helping France win the competition they missed out on four years ago. With this man up top France have every chance of being crowned champions of Euro 2020.









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Kevin @ Football: The Next Generation






Location: Europe

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