The first major international tournament of the summer is already underway in France. The Toulon Tournament – a competition held every year and traditionally comprising of players under the age of 20 – began on Wednesday and concludes a week on Sunday.
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Ten teams are present, including the hosts France and an England team led by former Premier League manager Aidy Boothroyd. Completing the line-up are Costa Rica, USA, Netherlands, Qatar, China, Ivory Coast, Mexico and Morocco.
In the list below, we count down six players that are worth keeping an eye on. Including one Liverpool starlet and a couple of potential summer transfer targets. Jordon Ibe was expected to travel with the Three Lions but was eventually forced to withdraw through injury.
How many of these players would you like to see plying their trade at Anfield later this year?
Marc Pelosi (USA & Liverpool)
Born in Germany, the midfielder signed for the Reds back in November 2011. He quickly established himself with the Under-18 and reserve sides, playing regularly until an injury cut his debut season short. He then broke his leg in February 2013 as a second consecutive campaign was ended prematurely. Thankfully, he’s managed six appearance for the Under-21s this season, helping us finish second in the junior version of the Premier League.
Presnel Kimpembe (France & Paris Saint Germain)
The 19-year-old defender who can play both as a centre-back and as left-back has already had the honour of making his Ligue 1 debut – coming on as a substitute for Thiago Motta. He also featured regularly in the UEFA Youth League during the last campaign, although PSG missed out on a place in the knockout stages after finishing third in their group behind Ajax and Barcelona. Liverpool were knocked out by Benfica in the Last 16.
Demarai Gray (England & Birmingham City)
The 18-year-old has already become a regular for Birmingham City. He made 43 appearances in all competitions during this season alone, helping guide his side to Championship safety. His record included six goals, the football league’s Young Player of the Month award for December and Birmingham’s Academy Player of the Season award. A left winger by trade, who is also capable of the playing on the right, he’s very much in the Jordon Ibe mould.
Anwar El Ghazi (Netherlands & Ajax)
The next big thing off the Ajax conveyor-belt of young talent. The 20-year-old winger has scored ten goals in his first full season with the Ajax first-team, playing 43 times in all competitions. He won the club’s ‘Talent of the Year’ award this month and looks set for an incredibly bright future. The biggest moment of his career came late last year when he scored his first Champions League goal – against Barcelona, at the Nou Camp – not bad!
Rolando Aarons (England & Newcastle United)
Still only 19, his career has been held back by injuries thus far, but there is a lot of promise to see here. He scored his first senior goal against Crystal Palace back in August, and in October, netted the decisive opening goal in his side’s League Cup win over holders Manchester City. Aarons is also eligible to play for Jamaica but is currently pursuing his career with England. He scored his first goal for the U20 side against Romania back in September.
Julian Green (USA & Bayern Munich)
Green has already played five times for the American first-team, so his inclusion will come as something of a surprise. He even played at the World Cup last summer, scoring against Belgium in the Last 16, a match the Americans eventually lost 2-1. He made his professional debut for Munich in 2013, coming on for Mario Gotze during a Champions League game, but he’s spent the last year on loan at Hamburg, where he played just five times.
