England Under 21s given tough draw for Euro Under 21 championships.
Gareth Southgate and his England Under 21 side have been given their reward for beating Croatia in their European Under 21 championship play-off last month in the shape of a difficult group draw alongside Italy, Portugal and Sweden.
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All three sides are amongst the most exciting on the continent, with these six young stars set to face off against the young Three Lions in next summer’s tournament in the Czech Republic:
Domenico Berardi (Italy)
Italy have an array of exciting young forwards coming through at the moment, but Sassuolo star Domenico Berardi is perhaps the best of them. He has already been snapped up by Juventus for the future but continues to impress on loan at the Serie A minnows as both a goalscorer and a clever, creative attacking player.
John Guidetti (Sweden)
Manchester City striker John Guidetti was crucial to Sweden’s dramatic play-off victory over France and is having a blinding season on loan with Celtic in the SPL. Guidetti has long been touted as a potential star of the future and, if he is now over the injuries that have curtailed his progress, he has the talent to light up next summer’s tournament and also launch his career at club level.
Bruma (Portugal)
Portuguese winger Bruma is not the most refined footballer, but he is capable of moments of sheer magic to the extent that Chelsea are reportedly interested in bringing him to the Premier League. Inconsistent but exciting, the Galatasaray player is not one to take your eyes off.
Daniele Rugani (Italy)
It is not just in attack where the Azzurri have young talent – Empoli central defender Daniele Rugani is amongst the most composed and promising young defenders on the planet right now. Another to have been snapped up by Juventus, Rugani is continuing his development at newly promoted Empoli but could well be turning out for Massimiliano Allegri’s side in the near future.
Ruben Neves (Portugal)
Another teenage Portuguese star who could be heading to the Premier League is FC Porto’s 17 year-old star Ruben Neves, with Liverpool reportedly interested in one of Europe’s most exciting youngsters. Neves is a tricky winger capable of scoring and creating goals and should excite in the Czech Republic, despite being one of the youngest players likely to be involved.
Francesco Bardi (Italy)
The Italian Under 21 side has strength all over the pitch, with Chievo Verona star Francesco Bardi likely to be their man between the sticks if Simone Scuffet is involved with the senior side. Bardi is having a fine season for Chievo on loan from Inter Milan and should be one of the best goalkeepers at the tournament.