Greenwood and Upamecano among 10 uncapped stars to flouish on international duty
You'll be hard pressed to find a domestic manager happy with the timing of an international break right on the eve of the 2020/21 campaign and the scheduling seems far from ideal in the middle of a global pandemic.
Squads of players and coaches will shortly be jetting off across Europe for the first batch of international matches in nearly 10 months and national team coaches have been forced into naming experimental squads to cope with a raft of absentees.
With big names missing, opportunities are there for new faces to shine on the international stage. We have picked out 10 uncapped players of varying ages that could make their international debuts during the opening matches of the second season of the UEFA Nations League.
Dayot Upamecano (France) - 7.06 rating
After an exceptional campaign for RB Leipzig, Dayot Upamecano has earned his first ever senior call up to Didier Deschamps' France squad. The 21-year-old has god the nod ahead of Manchester City ace Aymeric Laporte, with Manchester United reportedly keen on a summer move for the talented centre-back. Upamecano helped Leipzig into the last four of the Champions League last season and with the best tackle success rate in the competition (92.6%).
Phil Foden (England) - 6.86 rating
Phil Foden concluded the 2019/20 campaign as a first-team regular at Manchester City and proved a threat on goal whenever he was on the pitch. The immensely gifted 20-year-old played a direct hand in 11 goals in league and Europe last season, averaging a goal or an assist every 104.3 minutes of action across the competition. From starts alone, Foden was the highest WhoScored rated Englishman in the Premier League last term (7.59).
Robin Gosens (Germany) - 7.22 rating
Not only is Robin Gosens in the Germany squad for the first time but the Atalanta left-back would even make his debut in Thursday's UEFA Nations League encounter with Spain. With Nico Schulz injured and Marcel Halstenberg given time off after Leipzig's Champions League run, Gosens has a good chance of featuring right away for Joachim Low's side. Gosens, 26, was in exceptional form for Atalanta last season and was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea before the Blues signed Ben Chilwell. In fact, no defender played a direct hand in more goals than Gosens (17) in Europe's top five leagues last season.
Francesco Caputo (Italy) - 7.08 rating
When asked to quickly reel off some of the top scoring players in Serie A last season the obvious answers are Cristiano Ronaldo, Ciro Immobile and Romelu Lukaku. Some may even say Paulo Dybala or Andrea Belotti. Few will likely name Sassuolo striker Francesco Caputo. At the age of 33, Caputo has been given the chance to make his Italy debut by head coach Roberto Mancini as a reward for his displays in front of goal in 2019/20. Caputo was the fourth top scorer in Serie A last season (21 goals) and when you include assists he leapfrogs Romelu Lukaku into third for direct goal contributions (28). It's unlikely Caputo will start any of Italy's matches but at this point in his career he'd probably given up hope of ever turning out for his country.
Ferran Torres (Spain) - 6.72 rating
Fresh from joining Manchester City from Valencia, Ferran Torres has found himself straight in Luis Enrique's Spain squad for upcoming matches against Germany and Ukraine. Torres played a direct hand in 13 goals across 40 league and European appearances last season but reserved his best performances for the Champions League. The 20-year-old scored or assist four goals in six appearances in UEFA's elite club competition and impressively won 2.6 aerial duels per 90 to help garner a WhoScored rating of 7.47.
Mason Greenwood (England) - 6.73 rating
Mason Greenwood has been rewarded with his first England call-up after his breaktaking breakthrough campaign for Manchester United. The natural-born finisher netted 10 goals in the Premier League and is the only teenager to score 5+ goals for United in a single European campaign. Of players that managed at least 25 shots in the Premier League last season, only Jamie Vardy (25.8%) had a better conversion rate than the 18-year-old (25.6%).
Eduardo Camavinga (France) - 7.12 rating
Eduardo Camavinga looks set to stay at Rennes for at least one more season after they secured Champions League football and that is probably the best scenario for the 17-year-old, who has been drafted into Deschamps' France squad as a result of Paul Pogba testing positive for COVID-19. Camavinga ranked second in Europe's top five leagues last season for most tackles pg (4.2) and has started the 2020/21 Ligue 1 campaign on fire with a goal and an assist in each of Rennes' opening matches. He is arguably one of the most in-form players heading into the international break and Real Madrid may end up kicking themselves if they do not signing the midfielder this summer.
Alessandro Bastoni (Inter) - 6.76 rating
Alessandro Bastoni emerged as a real surprise package under Antonio Conte at Inter last season, eventually establishing himself as a first-team regular by the end of the season. The 21-year-old looked set for limited playing time at the start of the season with Diego Godin, Stefan de Vrij and Milan Skriniar ahead in the pecking order but now the latter is free to leave such Bastoni's rise to prominence. Bastoni averaged 66.1 passes per 90 in Serie A last season with a pass success rate of 88.9%. The youngster even chipped in with two goals from his 25 league appearances for last season's Europa League finalists.
Ansu Fati (Spain) - 6.73 rating
If there is one player that should benefit massively from Barcelona's clearout this summer then it is 17-year-old Ansu Fati. The teenager sensation should expect to feature prominently for Ronald Koeman next season, building on the 24 league appearances made in 2019/20. Should Fati score in either of Spain's upcoming internationals he will become the youngest goalscorer in Spanish history. The Barcelona winger netted seven times in LaLiga last season and recorded an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.26 from starts alone.
Jack Grealish (England) - 7.23 rating
It's been long overdue and required Marcus Rashford pulling out injured, but Jack Grealish is finally in a senior England squad. The Aston Villa captain was a surprise exclusion from Gareth Southgate's original squad but could now make his bow in upcoming matches against Iceland and Denmark. Grealish played a direct hand in 14 goals in 36 league appearances last season and was the most fouled player in Europe's top five leagues (167).
