The 2017 European Under-21 Championship kicks off in Poland on Friday, when England face holders Sweden in Kielce.
The Young Lions are aiming to qualify from the group stage for the first time since 2009, but some of the world’s best young players will be aiming to deny them glory in Poland.
Here, Press Association Sport looks at five players to watch.
The Real Madrid attacker won best player as Spain triumphed at the under-19 championship in 2015 and has enjoyed a breakthrough year at the Bernabeu. He scored a wonderful solo goal on his Madrid debut in their 3-2 Super Cup win over Sevilla in August and backed it up with another on his LaLiga bow.
The 21-year-old netted 10 goals in 38 games for Madrid to help them win the title and scored in their 4-1 Champions League final win over Juventus. He joined Madrid from Real Mallorca, having made his debut as a 17-year-old in 2014. He has three senior caps for Spain.
The 22-year-old winger missed most of the first half of the season with a knee injury – delaying his full international debut. The senior cap will come for a player who has already scored 41 professional goals, made 100 starts and helped Sassuolo finish 12th in the 2016/17 campaign.
Berardi, who pulled out of a senior squad injured in October 2015, was previously co-owned by Juventus and is a reported Chelsea target, and a strong Euro 2017 will only enhance his reputation. With Sassuolo finishing in the bottom half of Serie A, it seems a matter of time before Berardi leaves the Mapei Stadium.
The Sampdoria striker was the top scorer in qualifying with 10 goals in nine games as the Czech Republic topped Group One. His form for the under-21 side also earned a call-up to Karel Jarolim’s senior team and he has three caps, scoring once.
The 21-year-old, who has an effective left foot, joined Sampdoria from Sparta Prague last summer and linked up with the under-21s after the seniors’ World Cup qualifier against Norway on Saturday. He scored against Juventus on his first start for the club and finished the season with 13 goals – including 11 in Serie A.
The midfielder won Euro 2016 last summer but has dropped down to the under-21 squad after a tough first season at Bayern Munich. He was named young player of the tournament in France last year but started just six Bundesliga games for Bayern last term, sitting behind Xabi Alonso, Thiago Alcantara and Arturo Vidal in the pecking order.
This year’s championship is the 19-year-old’s chance to reinvigorate himself in a national set-up he has flourished in and show the form which convinced Bayern he was worth the initial £30million they paid Benfica last summer. All eyes will be on Sanches to see if he can recapture last summer’s form and complete a European double.
Another pick from Italy but it is hard to ignore the the 18-year-old who has already established himself at AC Milan, making a staggering 71 appearances since his debut as a 16-year-old. He became the youngest goalkeeper to ever play for Italy when he made his international bow at 17 years and 189 days against France in September and he now has three senior caps.
Donnarumma is widely expected to be Gianluigi Buffon’s long-term replacement for Italy and has earned praise from World Cup-winning goalkeeper Dino Zoff. He has also reportedly delayed his college exams to play in Poland.
