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Manchester United is recognized as one of the most popular clubs in the EPL as well as across the globe. So it is fitting that a sizeable contingent from Old Trafford has been selected to represent their nations at the Euros.
Europe's pre-eminent international tournament is set to kick off in three days' time. A host of the world's most famous footballers from the most popular European clubs are set to descend upon this scintillating festival of football that will culminate in a grand final on 11th July, set to take place in London.
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With 11 players, Manchester United is 4th in the list of clubs, sending the highest number of players to Euro 2021. With respect to the EPL, they are behind only Uefa Champions League champions Chelsea and league champions Manchester City, each of whom are sending 15 players to the tournament.
Under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, the Red Devils have displayed an improved showing in the 2020/21 season, finishing a respectable second to an unstoppable Manchester City side in the EPL.
Manchester United's players will, however, be smarting from having lost out on cup glory after going down in a penalty shootout against La Liga side Villarreal in the Europa league final.
Here, we take a look at the Top 5 Manchester United players who we should watch out for at Euro 2020.
#5 Victor Lindelof (Manchester United Centreback, Sweden)
The hard-working Swede was brought to Manchester United by Jose Mourinho in the 2017-18 season for a whopping transfer fee of €35 million, from Portuguese side Benfica.
Although he was error prone and shaky in his initial seasons, the 26-year-old has settled in well at Old Trafford and has formed a reliable partnership with Manchester United captain Harry Maguire. The duo played a key part in Solskjær's side finishing 2nd this season.
Lindelof is one of the mainstays in Janne Andersson's Sweden side and played the full 90 minutes in the Blågult's latest international match, a 3-1 friendly win against Armenia this past Sunday.
He has played the full 90 minutes for both of Sweden's FIFA world Cup qualifiers so far in 2021 and is expected to start in the Euros. He will partner either Dalian Professional's Marcus Danielson or Rangers' Filip Helander in the center of defense.
Sweden, who stand at No. 18 in the latest FIFA rankings, are drawn in Group E of the tournament. They will be up against 3-time champions Spain (FIFA Rank 6), Robert Lewandowski's Poland (Rank 21) and Marek Hamsik's Slovakia (Rank 36).
The Blågult start their tournament with a match against Luis Enrique's Spain at the Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla stadium in Seville, Spain. The match will kick off on Tuesday, the 15th of June at 12:30 AM IST.
#4 Scott McTominay (Manchester United Midfielder, Scotland)
Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay was one of the heroes of Scotland's victorious run in the playoffs to Euro 2020, after failing to secure automatic qualification.
He was one of the successful penalty takers as Scotland triumphed against Nemanja Matic's Serbia via a penalty shootout to book a spot in Europe's top international tournament.
One of the first names on the teamsheet for manager Steve Clarke, Scott McTominay has played at the center of the park in his natural defensive midfield role and also when required, even as the third center back in the 3-4-3 formation they employ.
The Manchester United academy product played the full 90 minutes in Scotland's most recent international outing, a narrow 1-0 win over Luxembourg in a preparatory friendly.
Scotland, who are ranked at No. 44 in the world by FIFA, are drawn in a tough group D at the Euros, up against bitter rivals England (FIFA Rank 4), 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia (Rank 14) and the hard-working Czech Republic (Rank 40).
With such tough opponents, McTominay will have to be at his best to ensure Scotland progress past the group stages.
Scotland start off the tournament at home against the Czech Republic. The match will take place at Hampden Park in Glasgow, with kickoff set for Monday, the 14th of June at 06:30 PM IST.
#3 Marcus Rashford (Manchester United Forward, England)
Despite the emergence of young guns like Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford seems to be preferred by England manager Gareth Southgate as the left wing option in his front trio. Tottenham's Harry Kane and Manchester City's Raheem Sterling are the other preferred starters.
The faith the manager has bestowed upon the United academy product was further underscored in England's latest preparatory friendly against minnows Romania. Rashford was declared captain of a second string Three Lions side. They went on to win the match 1-0 thanks to a penalty scored by the young 23-year-old.
With a host of promising youngsters and no weight of expectations tying them down, Southgate's charges are predicted to do well at the continental championships and Rashford will have to lead from the front if they have to erase the history of many dismal performances in past tournaments.
The Three Lions are placed in the highly competitive Group D and will have to face off against Andrew Robertson's Scotland, Luka Modric's Croatia as well as Tomas Soucek's Czech Republic.
Rashford and England start off the tournament against Croatia on Sunday, the 13th of June. The match will be played at England's home stadium at Wembley and is set to kick off at 06:30 PM IST.
#2 Paul Pogba (Manchester United Midfielder, France)
Paul Pogba in action for France in a recent friendly
One could argue that Paul Pogba has not shown half of what he is capable of in Manchester United colors, as much as he has when stepping out for his national team. The 28-year-old is a different animal for Les Bleus and was one of the driving forces behind Didier Deschamps' men triumphing at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Another mediocre season at Old Trafford, combined with the disappointment of having lost out on Europa glory, will have Pogba hungry for success at the Euros, a combination that could be deadly for all opposition in his path.
The central midfielder is equally capable of dictating the tempo of the game from deep in midfield while also stepping up and delivering laser-guided through balls for the forwards.
He started Les Blues' latest international, a 3-0 dismantling of Gareth Bale's Wales side on Thursday. France are understandably one of the hot favorites to take the crown at Euro 2020, with a dizzying array of talent at their disposal.
Les Blues (FIFA Rank 2) are placed in Group F, dubbed the Group of Death. They are pitted against continental heavyweights Germany (Rank 12), defending Euro champions Portugal (Rank 5) as well as Peter Gulasci's Hungary.
The world champions start off their tournament against Germany at the Allianz Arena in Munich in what promises to be the biggest matchup of Match Day 1. Kickoff is set for Wednesday, the 16th of June at 12:30 AM IST.
#1 Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United Midfielder, Portugal)
With captain and team talisman Cristiano Ronaldo's advancing age (he is 36) and decline in goalscoring prowess, Portugal will look to Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes for creative direction at the Euros.
Manchester United's player of the season for two seasons running now, many United fans are up in arms over the fact that City's Kevin de Bruyne was selected as the EPL Player of the year this season despite the Portuguese midfielder registering more goals and assists.
With a well-balanced side that has equal helpings of youthful energy and experience, Fernando Santos' Portugal side look well prepared to put up a stern title defense.
Bruno is expected to partner Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo, Atletico Madrid's Joao Feliz and Liverpool's Diogo Jota in a fearsome foursome of attackers Santos will employ ahead of two defensive midfielders.
Portugal (FIFA Rank 5) are placed in Group F, the so-called 'group of death', alongside France, Germany and Hungary. Their title defense begins on Tuesday the 15th of June, with a matchup against Hungary. The match will be played at the Ferenc Puskás Stadium in Budapest, Hungary and kickoff is scheduled for 09:30 PM IST.
