Chris Rigg, Mikey Moore and six future England stars to watch at the Under-19s European Championship

A former Tottenham and Southampton academy player, Sam Amo-Ameyaw had to move abroad to get a regular taste of first-team action, as he joined Strasbourg in January having been limited to only a handful of appearances since making his senior debut for the Saints in May 2023.

The move has certainly paid off for the 18-year-old winger a he made his mark on the French side's push for European football through the second half of the season. Amo-Ameyaw scored twice in nine league appearances for Liam Rosenior's side, and it is expected that he will play a greater role next season as he continues to develop under the tutelage of the English coach.

Amo-Ameyaw has played all across the forward line in his short career thus far, but is most comfortable when deployed on the right as it allows him to cut inside and threaten the goal with his stronger left foot.

England have been crying out for a central midfielder who can control the tempo of games and break the lines both with their passing and dribbling, and in Kiano Dyer, they may yet have found their man. That is a heavy burden to place on an 18-year-old with just four minutes of senior football to their name, but Dyer certainly has all the attributes to make it to the top.

Dyer joined Chelsea from West Brom in 2021, and though he is yet to earn regular first-team minutes in west London, he trains predominantly with the first-team squad while dominating for the Blues' U21s in Premier League 2. One of the most press-resistant players in the English academy ranks, he has also shown his eye for goal at times, which hints at him one day rounding into a world-class, all-round midfielder.

Though Chelsea did not make Tyrique George or Josh Acheampong available for selection for this tournament as they instead headed off to the Club World Cup with the Blues, this England squad is still packed with players who call Cobham their home, with Shim Mheuka joining Dyer and others in the travelling party.

The 17-year-old striker has already broken records at Stamford Bridge after becoming the youngest player to ever start a European match for Chelsea back in March, while he made his Premier League debut a few days earlier, and he really is the full package when it comes to being a modern No.9.

Mheuka is able to use his physical gifts to bully defenders at youth level, while he has also shown himself able to dribble past opposition players when given the chance to get the ball down on the floor. Factor in his unerring shooting, excellent heading ability and ice-cold penalties, and Mheuka could well grow into becoming England's starting striker of the future.

With Ethan Nwaneri having been promoted to the U21s since the turn of the year, the stage is clear for Mikey Moore to lead from the front for this England U19s side. The pair have run riot together throughout their youth international careers, and Tottenham forward Moore has the ability to show he is not the only teenager in north London who can become a future star of the game.

Certainly Moore showed during the first half of Spurs' season that he is ready for the big time, with team-mate James Maddison having likened the 17-year-old to Neymar after one particularly eye-catching display in the Europa League before injury stalled his progress. Certainly Moore's creativity and dribbling ability is somewhat similar to the Brazilians', with the youngster always keen to drive inside from his favoured position on the left.

Reports suggest Tottenham may loan Moore out next season to gain experience in the Championship, and giving him the chance to play a full season of senior football certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. For now, though, his focus is on showing just why there is so much hype around him at both club and international level in Romania this summer.

Whether Sunderland had won the Championship play-off final or not, Chris Rigg would have been playing top-flight football in the 2025-26 season. Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle and even Real Madrid are among the clubs to have been linked to the midfielder over the past couple of seasons, but he will now get to strut his stuff for his boyhood club in the Premier League next term following their victory over Sheffield United at Wembley.

Rigg started that game, as he did 37 others for the Black Cats over the course of a campaign that saw him fully establish himself in the Sunderland line up. Already the youngest goal-scorer in the club's history, the 17-year-old has gone on to break plenty more records at the Stadium of Light, with his maturity and ability to deal with pressure within midfield particularly eye-catching.

He has also shown an eye for the audacious in the final third, as illustrated by the brilliant back-heel goal he netted against local rivals Middlesbrough in September, and despite only making his England U19s debut in March, he heads to Romania as the squad's most-experienced player when it comes to senior club appearances.

While Rigg is heading into the Premier League with Sunderland, the hero of that play-off final will not be remaining with the Wearsiders. Tom Watson wrote himself into club folklore with his late winner under the Wembley arch in mid-May, but that will prove to be a parting gift, as the teenager had already agreed a £10 million ($13.5m) move to Brighton for this summer.

Given the Seagulls' history with signing young players and developing them into Premier League stars, things are certainly looking up in that regard for Watson. But before the 19-year-old winger arrives at the Amex Stadium, he will be keen to show just why Brighton wanted to sign him, with his pace and direct dribbling marking him out as a talent worth monitoring.