Switzerland's Gavranović out to follow Raúl's lead

Just as Mario Gavranović has sought to follow in the footsteps of Raúl González for FC Schalke 04, so he will try to do the same for Switzerland's Under-21s this month.

Raúl shone in the Spain team that reached the final of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 1996 and Gavranović is hoping to help Switzerland steer a similar course here in Denmark.

The Lugano-born forward travelled here on the back of a memorable breakthrough season with Schalke where he stepped up from the reserves to make eight Bundesliga appearances. He also marked a memorable debut in the UEFA Champions League with a goal in the 3-1 home win over Valencia CF in the last 16.

Add his senior Switzerland debut against Bulgaria in March and his upward trajectory is clear to see. The 21-year-old pays credit to Raúl, whom he partnered against Valencia on a "wonderful evening" in Gelsenkirchen in March, for serving as an inspirational presence. "Playing with Schalke I've had the good luck to play a few games up front with Raúl and you can learn so much from him," he told UEFA.com. "He's a player who any striker in the world would be inspired by."

Ironically, Gavranović got that chance thanks to the injury suffered by another striker with notable U21 tournament experience, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, whose goals helped the Netherlands lift the 2006 title. Competing alongside both players in Schalke's squad has given the Swiss faith in his own abilities.

"The most important thing this year is I've been able to learn a lot, not just from those two players but also from the many great players we have at Schalke. I've realised I can hold my own at this high level and it's given me faith in my future," he said.

Gavranović – who had spells with Swiss clubs FC Lugano, FC Yverdon-Sport and Neuchâtel Xamax FC before joining Schalke early in 2010 – was on the bench for Switzerland's opening 1-0 win over tournament hosts Denmark. He says competition for places in Pierluigi Tami's squad is high. "We're a complete squad, we've so many players who've appeared in the A team. We have cover in every position and all 23 players could lay claim to a starting role. I think if we play as a unit we can do well against anyone."

Their next test comes on Tuesday against Iceland – a side Gavranović describes as "physically very strong". He hopes Switzerland can "take advantage of our movement" and is quite aware what a second successive victory would mean. "We know that if we beat Iceland we'd have practically qualified [for the semi-finals]. After that anything is possible, we can dream and aspire to the final."