U19 EURO: talents to track
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Article summary
U19 EURO kicks off in Armenia on Sunday and we pick out a player from each team to keep an eye on.
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Group A
German Kurbashyan (Armenia)
The hosts' German-born centre-forward has graduated from Greuther Fürth's U19s to the reserves this summer, proving himself a pacy player who boasts excellent dribbling skills and a powerful shot with either foot.
Ferran Torres (Spain)
A regular in Valencia’s first-team squad since January 2018, the winger played in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League this season and scored five U19 qualifying goals.
Gonçalo Ramos (Portugal)
One of Portugal's highlights in the elite round, the Benfica youngster is a physical yet technically gifted all-round attacking player, who can operate on the wings or in the centre and boasts a keen eye for goal.
Paolo Gozzi Iweru (Italy)
The left-sided centre-back played every minute of Italy's run to last year's U17 EURO final and subsequently broke into Juventus's UEFA Youth League squad, making seven appearances in 2018/19.
Group B
Jørgen Strand Larsen (Norway)
The Sarpsborg forward is powerful and strong but also boasts a lot of finesse in his game; technically gifted, he scored twice in four qualifying appearances.
Lee O'Connor (Republic of Ireland)
A dependable centre-back who plays at right-back for Manchester United reserves and comes to Armenia having already made his U21 debut, appearing in the side that reached this summer's Toulon tournament semi-finals.
Matěj Kovář (Czech Republic)
Known for his ball-playing ability, the goalkeeper joined Manchester United in January 2018 after a previous trial at West Ham. Kovář was first choice in United's reserves last season and contested every minute of their UEFA Youth League campaign.
Benoît Badiashile (France)
The Monaco centre-back enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2018/19, making 20 Ligue 1 appearances and scoring his first top-flight goal against Nice. He also played all 90 minutes of Monaco's last two UEFA Champions League outings against Atlético and Dortmund.