European Under-21 Championship: Premier League players to watch

We pick out the Premier League youngsters featuring at the European U21 Championships.

Gareth Southgate can boast a plethora of Premier League stars among his England squad at this summer’s European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic.

But he’s not the only coach with Premier League youngsters to call upon. There are Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea players within the ranks of their rivals too.

Here we pick out five players who will be looking to catch the eye of their club bosses while representing their country this summer…

Emre Can – Liverpool and Germany

While it might have been a disappointing season for Liverpool, it was an encouraging debut season in England for their Germany Under-21 international as Can won himself plenty of admirers at Anfield. Assured on the ball with an impressive presence, the acquisition from Bayer Leverkusen was tested by Brendan Rodgers in a number of positions for the Reds but will expect to be used in his favoured midfield role by veteran boss Horst Hrubesch in the Czech Republic. A strong tournament could see Can kick on next season – when Liverpool might hope he can help fill the void left by outgoing skipper and club legend Steven Gerrard.

Serge Gnabry – Arsenal and Germany

Gnabry enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Arsenal in 2013/14 but the past year has been a difficult one for the German as a long-term injury scuppered his progress. The winger had earned Arsene Wenger’s trust with his confident performances. “He is surprising,” said Wenger. “He has the talent, but he has the personality on the pitch as well. He doesn't look timid, he looks to play with belief and, of course, talent.” He added: “I am a strong believer in him.” That belief – and the mental strength of Gnabry himself – will have been tested by a year on the treatment table but having returned to fitness, this tournament offers the chance to remind people what he can do.

Andreas Christensen – Chelsea and Denmark

Christensen made his Premier League debut for Chelsea as a substitute in their 3-1 home win over Sunderland on the final day of the season. He’d previously featured in the 4-2 home defeat to Bradford but it was another cup performance – a 2-1 win at Shrewsbury – that Jose Mourinho preferred to recall, naming Christensen as a man-of-the-match candidate in absentia at the Capital One Cup final for his efforts that night. Chelsea captain John Terry is also on record in describing Christensen as a “brilliant footballer” and this tournament offers an opportunity to build on his reputation with Denmark. A loan move to the Bundesliga is reported to be a possible reward.

Tiago Ilori – Liverpool and Portugal

Ilori arrived at Liverpool with a promising reputation having broken through the ranks at Portuguese giants Sporting but his development since then has principally continued away from Anfield in loan spells at La Liga club Granada and Ligue 1 side Bordeaux. Ilori, now 22, helped the French side to a top-six finish in 2014/15 but will be hoping to make an impact in the Premier League in the third year of his contract. With Portugal installed as third-favourites to win the tournament with the bookmakers, the prospect of international glory awaits the young central defender and with places up for grabs at Liverpool, it could be an important summer for the Portuguese.

Jores Okore – Aston Villa and Denmark

After an injury-hit first season at Aston Villa, Okore enjoyed and endured an eventful end to his second year at Villa Park. While the club battled against relegation, they also had two contrasting trips to Wembley with Okore coming off the bench to play his part against Liverpool in an FA Cup semi-final win before struggling in the 4-0 final defeat to Arsenal. Tim Sherwood is a fan though. “I can't express enough to the fans how much that boy is putting his body on the line for this football club,” said the Villa boss. There is no rest for Okore as he’ll be lining up for Denmark in the Czech Republic this summer despite having played for his country in the senior version back in 2012.