Six players to keep an eye on at Euro 2020

Fans of football have been spoiled by a long season of nonstop action, and the train isn't stopping anytime soon. Champions have been crowned, European qualifications have been booked, and teams have been relegated following the conclusion of the domestic calendar for 2020/21.

After a brief break following a long season, Europe's best players will return to represent their national teams in Euro 2020.

Of course, a new breed of player is always eager to make their mark in this huge competition, so here's a look at some of the future prospective superstars.

Yusuf Yazici

Yusuf Yazici is a versatile attacking midfielder who can play on either flank but excels in the center. His greatest strength is his left foot, which he uses to great effect. He enjoys shooting from a distance and is an expert at set pieces. The Turk has superb close control in open play, as well as the vision to move between the lines with ease.

He's also a threat from set-pieces, having been the usual corner and free-kick taker for Trabzonspor and again for Lille, where his dangerous, bending deliveries have created a plethora of chances.

At the start of 1997, he began his quest. Yazici was born on the 29th of January in Trabzon, the city where he would eventually earn his name. He entered Trabzonspor's academy when he was 10 years old, and he made his debut in the first squad in 2015. In 2020, he moved to Lille from Trabzonspor.Yusuf Yazici is seen as the successor to Ozil.

Yusuf Yazici scored 7 goals and provided 5 assists in 32 games in the French Ligue 1 this season. In eight Europa League games, he scored seven goals and added one assist.

Under Christophe Galtier's supervision, he also led Lille FC to their first Ligue 1 title in ten years and their fourth overall in club history.

Florian Neuhaus

Florian Neuhaus is a dynamic box-to-box midfielder who has been a significant source of creativity for Gladbach, patrolling the space between the midfield and final third and providing crucial link-up opportunities with the 10. His verticality on the offer is vital to his side's direct style of play, and he possesses a superb passing range.

As a fantastic ball carrier, the German is also capable of moving the ball into the final third and breaking lines with his long passes and dribbling abilities.

He is a dynamic player who enjoys connecting defense and offense by receiving short passes and carrying the ball forward before playing a through ball or feeding the wide areas.

Florian Neuhaus averaged 54 passes per game, with an 85 percent pass completion percentage, and 5 assists.

Xaver Schlager

Xaver Schlager began his career as a goalkeeper with St Valentin, where he famously conceded 19 goals in a game, but has since evolved into one of Europe's most technically and tactically skilled young midfielders.

In 2019, the blonde-haired midfield wizard moved to Wolfsburg from Red Bull Salzburg.

Xaver can play as an attacking midfielder, a deep-lying playmaker, a box-to-box engine, as well as cover for an overlapping fullback or perform a man-marking duty valiantly.

Last season, he played 30 games in the German Bundesliga (plus two as a substitute), averaging 40 passes per game. He completed 78 percent of his passes and added four assists to his total.

He finished an outstanding season by qualifying Wolfsburg for the Champions League next season for the first time in five years.

Pau Torres

Because of the space they open up and what they give in terms of distribution from the back, left-footed centre backs are seen as a rare but unique commodity in today's game. Pau Torres is a great example of this. He's at ease receiving and distributing the ball under duress, as well as making riskier and nearly impossible longer passes to wingers or forwards.

Torres has the ability to be one of Europe's best defenders. With Spanish veteran Raul Albiol at center-back, he has developed a powerful defensive pairing.

His strong positional displays for Villarreal and Spain demonstrate that he is a great reader of the game with a high football IQ.

Pau Torres played 33 games in La Liga this season, averaging 63 passes per game and an 88 percent pass completion rate. He also had two assists.

With Villareal FC, he finished the season on a high note by defeating Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Owen Wijndal

Many of the items on the modern full back wish list are checked off by Owen Wijndal.

When it comes to the attacking parts of the game, he is a fantastic left-back. His overlapping runs wreak havoc on the opposing defense.He can also cross the ball effectively. His passing skills, as well as his coolness and serenity on the ball during the build-up, are the most refined aspects of his game.

His duel success rate was the joint-sixth highest (62%) among the 41 Eredivisie defenders who had 200 or more duels in 2020-21. In the Eredivisie past season, he had six assists and 46 opportunities generated from open play.

Wijndal was involved in 149 shot-ending sequences in the Eredivisie, more than any other defender, and was one of only two outfield players to play every minute in the league in 2020-21.

He is expected to have an effect on the Netherlands in Euro 2020.

Alessandro Bastoni

Italy has a reputation for generating some of the world's best central defenders.

They have produced players like Fabio Cannavaro, who won the Balon'dor in 2006, one of the greatest defensive pairings in Maldini-Baresi, Chiellini and Bonucci, Alessandro Nesta's exploits, and many others.

Perhaps it's time for some fresh blood to take charge. And who better to ask than Alessandro Bastoni?

The left-footed defender began his career as a fullback, but he can also play as a centre-back, a position in which he has seen more action as his career advanced. He is best renowned for his passing skill and ball control, but his height and ability to exploit holes also allow him to be effective in the air, making him a goal threat from set–pieces.

Bastoni has displayed exceptional defensive abilities, maturity, awareness, elegance, and poise, all of which are well beyond his years. Due to his favored (left) feet, he has been able to bring something distinctive to the defense, and his ability on the ball offers him an advantage in consideration for selection.

This season in Serie A, he played in 33 games for a total of 2926 minutes. Inter Milan let up an average of 0.77 goals per 90 minutes when Bastoni was on the field. With a 78 percent tackle success rate and a 91 percent pass completion percentage, he helped the team keep 14 clean sheets in 33 games.

He was instrumental in Inter Milan winning their first league title in ten years.

By Baidoo Prince

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