Added to the list of awards given out at the Euros in 2016 was the Young Player of the Tournament award. UEFA have been recognising the Player of the Tournament since 1996 and it is good to see the young talents on show recognised these days. To win the award the player must be aged 22 or less and with the amount of quality young players selected this summer this should be a hotly contested race.

Euro 2020 Young Player of the Tournament preview: Past winner

2016 / Renato Sanches (18) – Portugal (Champions)

Euro 2020 Young Player of the Tournament preview: The favourites

Phil Foden – England (4.5)

There is no better place to start than with the favourite himself, Phil Foden. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder of Manchester City is no stranger to achieving things at a young age. He became the youngest ever winner of a Premier League winner’s medal and Man City’s youngest ever scorer in the Champions League as well as becoming the youngest English player to start and score in the knockout stage of Europe’s elite club competition. Since he first burst onto the top level scene a few seasons back he has gone from strength t strength and I’m sure he’ll be keen to add this award to his honours list.

In terms of England he made his debut in the summer of 2020 and has played five competitive games since. He’s already notched a couple of goals in the Nations League and two assists in those five appearances too. He is part of a talent-packed England attack and I would expect him to play a fairly big role if England are to go deep into the tournament. Having said that he does play in a position where Gareth Southgate has plenty of options and depending on team selection Foden could find himself battling to regularly nail down a starting place. One of those other options is Mason Mount who is second-favourite in this market at 7.5. He too could be in with a good shout and has been impressive at both club and country level recently. Overall I think Foden is probably a worthy favourite but at 4.5 he’s short enough.

Kai Havertz – Germany (8.0)

Another young star heading to Euro 2020 from the Premier League is Chelsea’s Kai Havertz. He is a similar style of player to Foden and Mount and looks fairly well positioned in the market. In a Germany side that is rapidly evolving, Havertz looks to be a key player and I’d expect him to play a big role in Germany’s setup throughout. He’s played 13 times for his country, scoring three times and assisting seven so he clearly fits the bill for the type of player who will stand out if Germany are to perform well at this tournament.

The main question I’d have is over the opponents that Germany will be facing, notably France and Portugal in the group stages. This could actually work in two different ways. If Germany struggle against these two sides then we may not really see the best out of Havertz but should they deal well with their strong opponents then it’s likely we could see Havertz play a pivotal role in taking down some well-fancied sides. If you’re a fan of the Germans then I don’t think his current price is too harsh at all and should we see him at his best then he will certainly be a contender.

Euro 2020 Young Player of the Tournament preview: Dark horses

Ferran Torres – Spain (10.0)

The young Spaniard has been impressive for his country since making his debut in September of last year and really made his mark when scoring a hat-trick in their 6-0 thrashing of Germany in the Nations League. He’s played nine competitive games in total and scored six times, which can’t be sniffed at and should see him have a big role to play this summer. It looks likely that he and Dani Olmo will be fighting it out for a spot in Luis Enrique’s starting attack but it seems the manager is a fan of his and even if he does opt for Olmo on matchday one I’m sure Torres will get ample opportunity to impress.

He’s heading into the tournament fresh from reaching the Champions League final with Man city and this season has looked pretty sharp under Pep Guardiola so I’m expecting a good showing from him. I fancy Spain to reach the quarter-finals and who knows they could even go further but if they live up to my expectations there at a decent price Torres could be worth a look.

Pedri – Spain (17.0)

Sticking with Spain I’ve picked out another youngster who has made a serious impact in his first season playing top-level football with Barcelona – Pedri. At just 18 years old he has become an integral part of the Barcelona setup and has actually played more than 50 times in his first season with the club which is pretty staggering. He’s a midfielder who has bags of talent and will likely find himself lining up alongside the experienced pair of Thiago and Rodri or perhaps Sergio Busquets so he’s in good hands for a bit of guidance in his first major tournament. Pedri has played four times for his country and is yet to bag his first goal but does have an assist to his name. If he gets the chances that I believe he deserves then his current price looks a little bigger than it should be in my opinion.

Euro 2020 Young Player of the Tournament preview: No value

Joao Felix – Portugal (9.0)

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder who plays his club football at Atletico Madrid is far too short in this market for my liking. There are a few reasons that I’ll be leaving Felix at this price but firstly his international record simply isn’t good enough. He’s played 17 times so far for Portugal and only been involved in four goals – three scored, one assist. I am aware that he is a young player and it does usually take some time for players to find their feet in national squads so I’m more than happy to accept that he could well become a future star for Portugal, but as things stand right now and in terms of the Young Player of the Tournament award go, I’m not too keen.

This season he’s scored 10 and assisted six in 40 appearances in all competitions for Atletico which is not a terrible return but for an attacker of his potential you would probably ask for more. Add into the equation that his side will be playing in the group alongside France and Germany and I find it hard to see any value at all in a price of 9.0. I’ve been a fan of Felix and hope he proves me wrong and kickstarts a successful international career but if I was betting on the winner it wouldn’t be him.