There was a time when the U20 World Cup was a good tournament to scout up-and-coming Irish players.
But seeing as Ireland has not qualified in a decade, the intervening period has seen the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Dani Alves strut their stuff in the junior World Cup.
Starting on Friday in Turkey, this year’s edition is no different and will see a number of young stars take to the field…
Sevilla team-mates Jose Campaña and Geoffrey Kondogbia will represent Spain and France respectively
France has named a squad with some recognisable names. Sevilla’s Geoffrey Kondogbia and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba will be at the heart of the team.
Former Man United youngster Pogba will captain the side, but another good player to watch out for is Arsenal new boy Yaya Sanogo.
The powerful striker has been prolific at youth level, netting 18 goals in 18 games at U16 level and nine in 16 at U-17 level.
Also look out for Bastia striker Florian Thauvin, Lyon defender Samuel Umtiti and Lille left-back Lucas Digne.
Spain are also in Group A and have a number of huge talents including two Scouting Report alumni’s Jese Rodriguez (Real Madrid) and Gerard Deulofeu (Barcelona).
Valencia striker Paco Alcacer, who scored three goals while on loan at La Liga side Getafe, is highly-rated.
Speedy and classy defender Tiago Ilori will be one of the main draws for Portugal and Liverpool will be keeping a very close eye on his progress.
Fulham youngster Kerim Frei will be one of the star men for host nation Turkey, alongside technically skilled attacking midfielder Salih Ucan (Fenerbahce) who has attracted the interest of Manchester City and Valencia in the past year.
Manchester United have some interest in the tournament as their 19-year-old striker Angelo Henriquez is set to feature for Chile. He spent the end of the season just gone at Wigan where he scored once in four games.
England may be struggling at youth level but they have qualified for this tournament. Striker Harry Kane (Tottenham), right-back Jon Flanagan (Liverpool), Gael Bigirmana (Newcastle) and Ross Barkley (Everton) all have Premier League experience.
