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WU19 EURO: players to watch out for

UEFA.com profiles eight rising stars to look out for in Northern Ireland during the 2017 WU19 EURO, including talents from Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

Laura Freigang in action during qualifying
Laura Freigang in action during qualifying ©Getty Images

Laura Freigang (Germany)
The most experienced player and prolific scorer in Germany's squad, Freigang will be key to her side's chances. The 19-year-old Penn State forward is comfortable as an attacking midfielder or supporting striker, and rounded off Germany's elite round campaign with a hat-trick in victory against Poland.

Georgia Stanway (England)
Stanway is a precocious striker who hit the headlines aged 16 with 35 goals in 15 games for Blackburn to earn a move to Manchester City. The 18-year-old, who is a technical player with an eye for the spectacular, has been similarly prolific at youth level for England.

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Lina Boussaha (France)
The talented midfielder recently signed her first professional contract with Paris Saint-Germain and was an unused substitute for their UEFA Women's Champions League final defeat by Lyon in Cardiff on 1 June. Still only 18, she scored twice in three qualifying matches.

Joëlle Smits (Netherlands)
Smits started the season with the Dutch WU17s but after scoring ten times in three qualifiers – including seven in a single game against Bulgaria – she was quickly promoted. The skilful striker took the step up in her stride, scoring five in the WU19s elite round, including a hat-trick against Slovenia.

Arianna Caruso (Italy)
Caruso is just 17 and combines hard work, technique and creativity. "I like the football intelligence of Francesco Totti, the grit of Radja Nainggolan and the pace of Cristiano Ronaldo," the versatile Roma midfielder says. "But if I have to choose one player, I would go for Alessandro Florenzi. He can play any role, like me."

Lucía García
Lucía García©Sportsfile

Lucía García (Spain)
García was top scorer in qualifying with 11 goals and appears on a mission to follow up the WU17 title she won in 2015 with WU19 gold this summer. The Athletic Club player, who struck in the 2-1 loss to France in the 2016 WU19 final, made her UEFA Women's Champions League debut this season.

Louise McDaniel (Northern Ireland)
Midfielder McDaniel captained Northern Ireland WU17s last season and, although still only 17, she has already moved up a level. A lively winger full of tricks, McDaniel loves to run at players and is always looking for the ball. She had just turned 14 when she made her Linfield debut in June 2014.

Chelsea Cornet (Scotland)
The 19-year-old Hibernian midfielder is a dynamic player with quick feet and a good eye for spotting opportunities. She played every minute for Scotland on route to Northern Ireland and scored in their final 5-0 win against Ukraine, her third goal of the campaign.

This article appears in the official WU19 EURO tournament programme.

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