Ethan Nwaneri, Jorrel Hato & six future superstars to watch at the 2025 Under-21 European Championship

Ethan Nwaneri broke into the England U21s squad in March, and could hardly have made a better first impression on manager Lee Carsley, scoring on his full debut in a 4-2 victory against Portugal. "We have to keep remembering he's 18. Unbelievable, isn't it?" Carsley said after the game, but Arsenal fans wouldn't have been surprised by Nwaneri's performance.

The Gunners' youngest player of all time became a regular for Mikel Arteta's side last season as he benefited from an injury crisis that saw Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz all ruled out for long periods. Nwaneri recorded 11 goal contributions in 37 appearances across all competitions, and if he can transfer that form to the international stage again, England will have a great chance of defending their title.

It's already fair to say that Nwaneri is among the most talented players the Three Lions have ever produced. He's a smooth technical operator who is versatile enough to thrive in both wide and central positions, and if England's opponents give him too much room on his left side, Nwaneri can decide any game with a curling shot that is fast becoming his trademark.

There was a lot of excitement generated by Chelsea's £44 million ($60m) capture of Geovany Quenda in March, and the hype was justified. Quenda broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s record as the youngest goal-scorer in Sporting CP's history last October (at 17 years, five months and 27 days), and has only gone from strength to strength since then, despite having to adapt his game after Ruben Amorim's exit for Manchester United.

Under new Sporting coach Rui Borges, Quenda has played in several different roles, gradually evolving into a forward-thinking right-back who thrives in one-on-one situations. The 18-year-old's pace and deceptive strength make him a formidable defender, and in attack, he is a constant menace with an eye for killer passes.

“I see similarities with Lamine Yamal,” Sporting assistant Tiago Teixeira told The Athletic in March, and there are few bigger compliments than that. Quenda may well be widely considered as being in the same bracket as Yamal by the time he arrives at Chelsea in 2026, having already received two call-ups to the Portugal senior team, and his presence alone makes the U21s one of the favourites in Slovakia this summer.

Thierno Barry made the jump to one of Europe's top five leagues last summer when swapping Basel for Villarreal, and made the transition look easy. The 22-year-old forward played a key role in Villarreal's run to a top-five finish in La Liga, contributing 11 goals and four assists to their cause while striking up a fearsome partnership with Alex Baena.

Barry gave Villarreal the extra dimension upfront they needed to return to the Champions League, proving to be a major handful both with the ball at his feet and in the air. Few defenders in Spain were able to compete with Barry physically, and his ruthless finishing skills should help France go far at the U21 Euros.

This is shaping up to be a huge summer for Barry, who has a €40m (£34m/$46m) release clause in his contract at Villarreal, and it has been reported that Everton are eager to bring in the Frenchman as their new No.1 striker. A decisive showing in Slovakia could seal a dream move to the Premier League for the youngster ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Juventus have all been linked with Conrad Harder in recent months, with the Scandinavian sharpshooter inevitably drawing comparisons to Erling Haaland after a breakthrough campaign at Sporting CP. The Portuguese giants snapped Harder up from Nordsjaelland in 2024 for €19m (£16m/$22m) and he's reportedly worth four times that amount now, having been one of the most consistent performers in the squad last season.

Harder is an explosive striker who likes to shoot early and runs himself into the ground for the collective cause. Goal machine Viktor Gyokeres stole most of the headlines in Sporting's latest title-winning campaign, but Harder also weighed in with a combined 23 goals and assists across all competitions, and is arguably a more well-rounded centre forward than the Swede already.

Denmark even handed Harder his international debut in March, and it has been suggested he could usurp Rasmus Hojlund as the focal point in the team if he continues on his current trajectory. Harder is still very much a raw talent at 20, but inspiring the U21s to the latter stages of the Euros would be a significant first step towards achieving that.

Incredibly, the 2024-25 season was Jorrel Hato's third at senior level for Ajax, where he initially graduated from the academy ranks as a 16-year-old in March 2022. Now, the Dutch defender is one of the most important members of the squad at Johan Cruiyff ArenA, and has even taken on vice-captaincy responsibilities despite still being nine months away from his 20th birthday.

Hato is a ball-playing centre-half who excels at driving out of the defence, boasts a lightning turn of pace and superb passing range. Ajax's latest campaign ended in major disappointment, but Hato landed a consolation prize when he was named Eredivisie Talent of the Year, which was a just reward for his consistently brilliant performances.

The Netherlands will be very difficult to break down at the U21 Euros with Hato serving as the last line of defence, and he will also provide a genuine threat at the other end of the pitch after scoring two Eredisivie goals and setting up another six for Ajax last term, with team-mate Jordan Henderson describing him as a "fantastic player" and a "very mature person" who has a "bright future ahead of him". That last part was an understatement; Hato has the potential to be one of the great defenders of his generation.

In Stuttgart's towering No.9 Nick Woltemade, Germany have a unique weapon who has all the attributes to lead his country to the U21 Euros title. Standing at the imposing height of 6'6, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Woltemade is a typical old-school target man built for route one football, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Woltemade has actually been described as Stuttgart's 'two metre Messi', which is a nod to his deceptively quick feet and ability to change direction quickly under pressure. A big void was left in the Stuttgart line up after Serhou Guirassy's move to Borussia Dortmund, but Woltemade filled it after joining from Werder Bremen last summer, scoring 17 goals in all competitions, including one in their historic DFB-Pokal final victory over Arminia Bielefeld.

The German ace is not as prolific as Guirassy, but that's only because he is an accomplished playmaker as well as a goal-scorer. Julian Nagelsmann handed Woltemade his maiden senior Germany cap in their Nations League semi-final defeat to Portugal, so his appearance at the Euros is likely to be his last for the U21s, but there is every chance he will bow out with a bang because keeping him quiet is nigh on impossible.