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We have already seen some sensational individual performances at Euro 2020. The tournament is just two matchdays old and we have plenty to look forward to. That includes the return of several superstars who are yet to strut their stuff in the continental competition's latest edition thus far.
Most European powerhouses have no shortage of talent and could field two top teams with the kind of squad depth they have. What this also means is that several top players could fail to make the starting XI for their nations despite being in the squad.
Some big stars have not featured at Euro 2020 yet
Team harmony is quite important at big tournaments such as Euro 2020. If the side is performing well, the manager will be wary about making changes or introducing a new player into the setup. This could very well be the reason why some big stars have missed out so far.
After all, if it is not broken, why fix it? But the first two sets of matches have shown us that there is a lot of room for improvement as far as several teams are concerned.
As a result, they could shuffle things up in the weeks to come and we could yet see some of the biggest superstars who have missed out so far take the field. Without further ado, let's take a look at five superstars who are yet to feature at Euro 2020.
#5 Ruben Neves - Portugal, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers' all-action midfielder Ruben Neves is yet to play a single minute for Portugal at Euro 2020. Fernando Santos has so far opted to go with a midfield pivot of Danilo Pereira and William Carvalho and results have been rather underwhelming.
It's best not to make much of Portugal's 3-0 win in their opening encounter against Hungary. All three of their goals came after the 80th minute and there was an element of good fortune about their first two. But hey were exposed against Germany on Saturday.
Danilo and William Carvalho were too slow and couldn't keep up with the likes of Toni Kroos and Gundogan. They were unable to offer a lot of support to their backline and Portugal suffered. It's clear as day that Santos' men lack steel in midfield but they have a great option in Ruben Neves.
Neves is a tenacious midfielder and he also has a great passing range. After Saturday's defeat against Germany, it is definitely time for Santos to go back to the drawing board and formulate a new plan. The 24-year-old should be included in the starting XI for their upcoming games.
#4 Ben Chilwell - England, Chelsea
Gareth Southgate surprised everyone when he selected Kieran Trippier to start at left-back in England's Euro 2020 opener against Croatia. Trippier was unable to provide any kind of thrust down the left side and was replaced by Luke Shaw in the second game.
The Manchester United left-back couldn't do much either as England's forwards had a miserable outing against Scotland and failed to offer him any kind of support. Southgate has said that Chilwell should remain primed for involvement. He could be called into action in their game against Czech Republic.
The Chelsea man has had quite an impressive season. He could offer an attacking outlet for the Three Lions, who have struggled to create anything of note down the flanks so far at Euro 2020.
#3 David de Gea - Spain, Manchester United
The Manchester United goalkeeper has not been at his best over the past couple of seasons. David de Gea has not played for Spain since their UEFA Nations League defeat against Ukraine in October 2020. Luis Enrique has chosen to go with Unai Simon, who did a good job with Athletic Bilbao in the 2020-21 season, for La Roja's first two matches at Euro 2020.
De Gea did not have a great outing in the 2020-21 season. He was eventually displaced as Manchester United's No.1 by Dean Henderson. Although he is quite formidable on his day, the 30-year-old has shown a proclivity for dropping stinkers at crucial moments for his side.
It remains to be seen whether or not Enrique will remove Simon from between the sticks and put De Gea in his place.
#2 Jadon Sancho - England, Borussia Dortmund
One of England's most exciting youngsters, Jadon Sancho, is yet to play a single minute at Euro 2020. The Borussia Dortmund winger is coming off an excellent season where he scored 16 goals and provided 20 assists in 38 appearances across all competitions.
England has lacked sharpness and creativity in the final third so far as Southgate continues to persist with a front three of Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden and Harry Kane. Save for his goal against Croatia, Sterling was off-colour in both games. Foden has been able to conjure up nothing of note and he is not an out-and-out winger either.
The Three Lions desperately need to shake things up in attack if they are to progress. The writing is on the wall. They have plenty of solutions on the bench. It's time to get the tricky Jadon Sancho on and get him to create chances for Harry Kane and co.
#1 Marco Verratti - Italy, Paris Saint-Germain
Italy have got off to a flying start at Euro 2020. They dispatched both Turkey and Switzerland with the same 3-0 scoreline. Even better, they did it without their midfield lynchpin Marco Verratti.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder missed the first two games due to a knee injury. In his absence, Manuel Locatelli has shone and has almost become 'undroppable' after their first two games. Roberto Mancini has now confirmed that Verratti could play in Italy's final group game against Wales.
Verratti's entry will undoubtedly make Italy more of a force to be reckoned with. The 28-year-old is one of the best technicians on the ball. With Locatelli to his side and an in-form front three to feed, Verratti is expected to help Italy finish top of Group A.
