Iran: Alireza Jahanbakhsh (AZ Alkmaar)
The winger has his feet firmly under the table at AZ Alkmaar, where he became the first Asian player to win the Eredivisie golden boot with 21 goals last season. Napoli were credited with an interest in the 24-year-old.
Morocco: Amine Harit (Schalke)
The 20-year-old French-born midfielder has it pretty good at Schalke right now, having broken into the first-team and won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year award in his first season in Germany. He described his style of play as “provocative” and big clubs certainly might be tempted by some impressive performances, especially against Spain and Portugal.
Portugal: William Carvalho (Sporting Lisbon)
If the powerhouse midfielder hasn’t already signed for Everton before the tournament starts, then the 26-year-old will be gasping to catch the eye in Russia. Carvalho, like many of his team-mates, is desperate to leave Sporting Lisbon and it’s about time we all got to see whether he can cut it outside Portugal.
Spain: Alvaro Odriozola (Real Sociedad)
The right-back has emerged as one of Spain’s brightest young talents, with Real Madrid already heavily linked with the 22-year-old, who looks set to start the tournament with Dani Carvajal still nursing the hamstring injury he sustained in the Champions League final.