Euro 2016 – Three breakout youngsters from the tournament

Euro 2016 – Three breakout youngsters from the tournament

0
SHARE

Meet the young guns who announced themselves at Euro 2016…

For all the post-tournament critics turning up their noses at the manner of Portugal’s victory, or the hordes of fans and pundits arguing the additional teams led to a dull tournament, some of Europe’s hottest prospects made their mark in France.

Portugal’s Renato Sanches, France’s Samuel Umtiti and Croatia’s Marko Pjaca are all under 23 years of age, and all three of them put their name in lights over the course of the month. While previous tournaments have seen young talent stamp their authority on proceedings from the outset, neither of the trio made their mark straight away, and were forced to wait. But when they did, they were superb.

The man who took home the prize for the best youngster, Sanches, had to wait until after the group stage to be let off the leash, but showed why he is one of the continent’s highest rated prospects. Umtiti was thrown in the deep end late in the tournament, but performed admirably given his inexperience against some high quality opposition, while Pjaca made a significant impact despite a lack of playing time in Croatia’s short campaign.

Renato Sanches

The 18 year-old celebrated his recent move to Bayern Munich with a superb series of performances for Portugal which saw him capture the Young Player of the Tournament award. Playing with confidence above his tender age and armed with plenty of attacking verve and intent, Sanches was by far the most talked-about young gun in France.

Entering Euro 2016 as Portugal’s youngest ever player at an international tournament, he duly delivered on the hype – winning the man-of-the-match award against Croatia off the bench. Upon becoming the youngest Portuguese player to start at a major tournament against Poland, he again impressed, scoring the equalizer and the second penalty in their successful shootout, before helping put Wales to the sword in the semi-finals. Despite a less dynamic appearance in the final, his country’s victory meant he became the youngest ever winner of the tournament.

Samuel Umtiti

It is incredible that the best young defender at the tournament only made his international debut at the quarter-finals – but it is the case for Umtiti. After a stellar season for Olympique Lyonaies, the versatile 20-year-old won himself a place in Didier Deschamp’s France squad. Despite not featuring in the group stage, he was given a chance when Adil Rami was suspended in their win over Ireland. He marked his first game with a solid performance in the 5-2 win over Iceland, yet it was his semi-final showing against the might of Germany which proved his class. Forming an impenetrable wall alongside Laurent Koscielny, Umtiti displayed poise and confidence to turn in a man-of-the-match performance, thwarting Thomas Muller all game long. Any fans hoping their club snaps up the defender, prepare to be disappointed – he has just sealed a move to Barcelona.

Marko Pjaca

The Croatian may have entered the tournament unknown outside of his homeland, but his performances in France will have changed that. The fact he played just over 100 minutes and is now being chased by the likes of Juventus and AC Milan shows his impact. After a one minute-cameo in the opener against Turkey, he was handed a surprise start in the group decider against Spain. Pjaca took his chance and turned in a superb performance, proving more than a handful for Jordi Alba and significantly testing the world’s best left-back. After his glowing performance, it was a surprise to see Pjaca relegated to the bench for Croatia’s Round of 16 clash with Portugal. The dull encounter could have used the winger’s cutting edge in the final-third, but alas, he was afforded just 10 minutes off the bench. Even though the highly-fancied Croatians crashed out, Pjaca’s star was brightened and his performance put himself in the shop window for a big summer move.

What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.