With the latest round of international fixtures upon us this weekend, there are several young names looking to take their chance at breaking into their respective national teams with the view of establishing themselves as regulars in time for next summer’s European Championships.
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Tottenham striker Harry Kane is just one young star that may make his mark on the international stage, but there are five other names across Europe that are worth watching, too.
Franco Vazquez – Italy
The Palermo star may be firmly set in Paulo Dybala’s shadow this season, but the left-footer has been playing well enough to catch Antonio Conte’s eye.
A rangy, graceful attacker, Vazquez loves to run the channels with the ball at his feet and is more reminiscent of an old fashioned number 10.
Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco – Belgium
Carrasco has been making waves with the Belgian under-21s recently, and has apparently even managed to make Arsene Wenger sit up by playing his part in dumping Arsenal out of the Champions League, and is now being given his chance to shine by Marc Wilmots.
Quick and direct, he is a huge threat on the counter attack and will look to add to the already phenomenal talent that the Red Devils possess in the middle.
Bas Dost – Netherlands
Dost’s form for a resurgent Wolfsburg has been hard to ignore this term, with him bagging 13 goals in 11 starts, he has overtaken some rather bigger household names in the scoring charts.
The 25-year-old finally seems to have the hang of the Bundesliga, and is now displaying the kind of form that made the club bring him on board from Eredivise side Heerenveen. With height, power, and intelligent running all in his locker, Dost has all the necessary ingredients to become a top class striker at international level.
Vitolo – Spain
At 25, Vitolo may be a bit of a latecomer to the international stage, but his form for Sevilla this term has been more than worthy of a call up to La Rioja.
A player with a tireless work rate and an great ability to ghost in from the left flank to chip in with his share of goals and assists – if he can translate his club form with Sevilla into the national team then he will surely become another viable option for Spain as they continue to rebuild.
Nabil Fekir – France
Fekir is just the latest in a long line of talented youngsters to come out off the Lyon production line, and he is steadily making a name for himself across Europe, rather than just in France.
The 21-year-old is skilful enough to keep defenders second guessing themselves, and can produce passes that wouldn’t be out of place at Barcelona. Bagging 11 goals so far this season, and laying on a further 10 for his teammates, he could be in line for a very long and successful career.