Young guns go for it

One of the joys of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship is that, although the players are in most cases already established in the professional ranks, there are few bona fide superstars on show. Instead, spectators have the chance to see players who are still at the start of their professional careers and to imagine who might go on to follow in the footsteps of Petr Čech, Alberto Gilardino and Klaas Jan Huntelaar, who have impressed at these finals in recent years. uefa.com picks out eight players to watch in the Netherlands over the next fortnight.

Group A
Maarten Martens (Belgium)
The midfielder made his senior international debut earlier this year and his goals and assists were a key factor in AZ Alkmaar's challenge for the Eredivisie title this season. He scored ten and set up ten more, more than any other player in the Dutch top flight. His form more than justified the faith of AZ coach Louis van Gaal, who signed Martens from RKC Waalwijk last summer despite the fact he was still recovering from a knee ligament injury.

Ben Sahar (Israel)
The highest-profile member of Israel's squad, the striker moved from Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC to Chelsea FC last summer and became his country's youngest-ever international when he made his senior bow against Ukraine in February. He netted twice on his third appearance against Estonia and, having also scored on his U21 debut in the qualifying play-off against France and featured three times for Chelsea, looks set for a bright future.

Ryan Babel (Netherlands)
Described as "the next Thierry Henry" by Netherlands coach Marco van Basten, who included him in his selection for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Babel has had plenty of admirers since emerging at AFC Ajax in February 2004 and already has 14 full caps to his name. Able to operate up front or on the wing, he became the Oranje's youngest scorer by registering on his debut against Romania in 2005.

Nani (Portugal)
A classy creative midfielder who has agreed to join Manchester United FC after two impressive seasons with the Sporting Clube de Portugal, Nani was - for 12 months at least - the youngest member of this Portugal squad. Such is his potential, he was handed the first of six senior caps last September. His last act in a Sporting shirt was to help the club lift the Portuguese Cup in May, and the Lisbon side never lost a league match in which he scored. That said, his goal on his international bow against Denmark was not enough to prevent a 4-2 defeat.

Group B
David Nugent (England)
The Preston North End FC forward hit 18 goals in their promotion bid this season, and though they missed out on the Premier League it would be no surprise to see Nugent, who was relased from Liverpool FC's academy aged 14, in the top flight before long. His pace is phenomenal and he uses that asset to the full as well as being a smart finisher - his poaching instinct helping him score on his full England debut against Andorra in March.

Riccardo Montolivo (Italy)
The ACF Fiorentina midfielder is the fulcrum for the Azzurrini's bid for a sixth U21 title in eight championships, having claimed three goals in qualifying. He has been compared to Andrea Pirlo by Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli, whose team rely on Montolivo's vision, creativity and extensive range of passing. His class has won praise from no less an authority than Marcello Lippi, who said: "When you have such a brilliant talent, you just have to say: 'You are always going to play.' And he'll never let you down."

Boško Janković (Serbia)
The right-winger's exciting form at RCD Mallorca brought him nine goals in 17 Primera División starts this term and reportedly caught the eye of FC Barcelona and Valencia CF. Janković appeared in these finals in both 2004 and 2006, and arrived at Mallorca last year having helped FK Crvena Zvezda - whose crest he has tattooed on his right shoulder - complete the league and cup double in what was then Serbia and Montenegro. He finally made the step up to the senior international fold for a friendly against Norway last November, and has since found the target against Portugal and Finland in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying.

Daniel Pudil (Czech Republic)
Yet another U21 starlet who already has a taste for senior international football, the FC Slovan Liberec midfielder is a potent force when attacking from deep. Freed by AC Sparta Praha as a junior, Pudil did not represent his country until the age of 18, but has subsequently overtaken his contemporaries to make his full debut against Belgium earlier this year. He is a key figure at Liberec, whom he helped to the Czech championship in 2006.