Eljero Elia came off the bench in six of the Netherlands' seven matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the tricky winger looks set to fill a similar role at UEFA EURO 2012 having been used as a substitute in seven of his eight qualifying appearances. He has made little impact at Juventus following his move to Turin last summer.

• Catapulted into the ADO Den Haag first team at 17, he made steady progress at the club during the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons but was unable to prevent their relegation from the Eredivisie in the latter.

• Switched to FC Twente and enjoyed a debut campaign full of promise, which he fulfilled in spectacular style the following season, starting all 34 Eredivsie matches and scoring nine goals to help the Enschede club finish runners-up in both domestic competitions under Steve McClaren.

• Voted Dutch Talent of the Year in the spring of 2009, he received a belated first international cap that September − but not until after he had left his homeland for Hamburger SV in a €9m move.

• Scored the winning goal for the Oranje on his first competitive outing − a World Cup qualifier against Scotland in Glasgow − and proved a useful impact sub at the finals in South Africa.

• Scored seven goals in 48 Bundesliga appearances for Hamburg before leaving in another €9m transfer, this time to Juventus, at the end of the summer 2011 transfer window; struggled, however, to get a game during the first half of the 2011/12 season.