Five starlets primed to make a big impression at the Under-21 European Championship

With no major international tournament taking place this summer and the Confederations Cup failing to fully grasp the imagination of the football world, a lot of eyes will be drawn to the Under-21 European Championship in Poland.

The likes of Kylian Mbappe and Dele Alli will not be present but a number of wonderkids and 'next big things' will be strutting their stuff for their country, all itching to follow in the footsteps of Andrea Belotti and Bernardo Silva by using the youth international stage to garner admirers and accelerate themselves to glory and stardom.

Below are five starlets from five different countries who are more than capable of catching the eye in Poland.

Patrik Schick

Coming off the back of a breakthrough season with Sampdoria, 21-year-old Czech Republic forward Schick will be hoping to build on his 10 goals in qualifying and fire his country to their first Under-21 European Championship in 15 years.

What the former Sparta Prague starlet lacks in pace and power, he more than makes up for with boundless technical ability.

11 goals and three assists from just 14 starts in his first season in Italy is a quite an astonishing return, with the pick of his strikes undoubtedly being his Dennis Bergkamp-esque flick and finish against lowly Crotone in April. Juventus are believed to be closing in on a deal to sign Schick.

Daniele Rugani

Rugani is perhaps both lucky and unlucky to be plying his trade for Juventus. On one hand he can learn off and be nurtured by the colossal trio of Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli. On the other, he has the unenviable task of trying to oust one of the aforementioned three in order to receive regular game-time.

Technically sound with great positional sense and an innate ability to sniff out trouble at source, Rugani looks set to be the latest in a long line of wondrous Italian defenders, and the 22-year-old could further cement his status as the future bedrock of the Azzurri with some streetwise, resolute performances in Poland.

Sandro Ramirez

Cast aside by Barcelona last year, 21-year-old striker Sandro has succeeded in overcoming the disappointment of being deemed not fit for purpose by his boyhood club by becoming Malaga's star striker and in turn attracting interest from the likes of Everton and Atletico Madrid. The forward jetted into Merseyside last weekend for talks with Everton director of football Steve Walsh and is expected to make a decision over a potential £5.2m switch to Goodison Park in the coming days.

Versatile, with an impressive blend of physical and technical qualities, Sandro is expected to lead the line for a star-studded Spain squad which also contains Champions League winner Marco Asensio and Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin.

14 goals and three assists in just 28 starts for Malaga last season have led to admiration from a number of clubs, and a couple more strikes in Poland will ensure that Sandro has no shortage of suitors keen to activate his paltry release clause.

Tammy Abraham

Another striker already garnering plenty of interest is Chelsea prodigy Tammy Abraham, the man expected to spearhead England's attack. Newly-promoted Newcastle United and Brighton are believed to be duking it out for the 19-year-old, who played a huge part in Bristol City's Championship survival bid with 23 goals, and his clinical nature, strong work ethic and athleticism will prove vital to Aidy Boothroyd's side's chances of success.

Bristol's Player and Young Player of the Season last term, Abraham looks destined to be in the English top-flight next season but could drum up further interest in his services in Poland, and he is hoping to draw inspiration from England's Under-20s after their World Cup success.

"[England's Under-20s World Cup win is] massively inspiring," Abraham told The Guardian. "We're going into a massive tournament now with the Under-21s and it would be nice to end it on a blast. The boys are confident. We've had a great season. We just want to top off with a win. Some of the lads have played in the Premier League, in top teams, we have an amazing team. Hopefully we can show that. We're all excited. We just have to prove it."

Renato Sanches

After playing a pivotal role in Portugal's rather lacklustre jaunt to success at Euro 2016, Sanches had the world at his feet. He had completed a £35m move from Benfica to Bayern Munich the month before, but his time at the Allianz Arena has been far from successful, with his place in Carlo Ancelotti's squad already under threat.

A well-rounded central midfielder with technical prowess and a tenacious spirit, Sanches will hope to add to his European Championship from last year and show Ancelotti why he deserves to remain a Bayern player. But with the Bundesliga champions' recent £36.1m acquisition of Corentin Tolisso, Sanches may be playing for a move.