Future Chelsea star Estevao among potential international debutants
The first international break is upon us, and with it; a number of players have been rewarded for their fine domestic form with international recognition. Here we run through 10 players looking to earn their first cap, with stars from England, Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina, Belgium and Scotland all featuring.
Kieran Trippier's retirement from international football has opened up a spot in the England setup for another versatile full-back, and club teammate Tino Livramento is hoping to grab the chance to consolidate his place in the squad. One of four new faces called up by Lee Carsley, Livramento has made a solid start to the campaign for the Magpies, starting all three league matches in place of Trippier. While he has work to do to improve his distribution, the 21-year-old will hope to earn the first of many senior international caps this week.
A leftfield pick by Lee Carsley this month, Angel Gomes has been quietly living up to his potential in France. Having departed Manchester United without a fair chance of nailing down a first team spot, Gomes has been impressing for Lille in Ligue 1. The midfielder made headlines for all the wrong reasons earlier in the season having been hospitalised following a nasty collision in the win at Reims, but his form in France's top tier has caught the eye of Carsley, who is familiar with the 24-year-old's game from their time together with the U21s.
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Nottingham Forest were hellbent on keeping Morgan Gibbs-White over the summer despite their financial issues, and it's easy to see why. The 24-year-old has been far and away Forest's best player following his big-money arrival from Wolves in 2022 having been directly involved 29 league goals since his move to Forest, providing 18 assists in the process. Gibbs-White has started the season brightly, ranking among the top 10 players for key passes (9) and dribbles (6) in the Premier League.
The fourth England player to make the cut, Noni Madueke kicked off his season with a goal against Servette and followed that up with a hat-trick in Chelsea's 6-2 win over Wolves to mark the best rated performance in a Premier League match this season, returning a WhoScored rating of 9.83 in the process. While Bukayo Saka has the right wing spot sewn up, Madueke is a viable alternative, who has earned the trust of Lee Carsley owing to their respective time together with the U21s.
Having starred for a France side that finished runners' up at the Olympics, Michael Olise has started life with Bayern Munich brightly, returning a modest WhoScored rating of 6.98 in the Bundesliga. As France look to build upon their disappointing Euros performance that saw the pre-tournament favourites crash out at the semi-final stage, Olise is one of a number of young stars Didier Deschamps has looked to utilise, the former Crystal Palace man taking the place of club teammate Kingsley Coman in the squad.
After a sub-par Copa America showing, Estevao is one of a number of youngsters called up to the Brazil squad this month. The future Chelsea star has been excelling for Palmeiras this season, scoring eight and providing seven assists, while he recently became the first player to earn a perfect WhoScored 10 rating in a Brasileirao match this season. The 17-year-old ranks second for successful dribbles (53) in Brazil's top tier this term with Estevao looking to maintain his whirlwind start to his career this month.
Estêvão is the only player to have earned a perfect WhoScored 10.0 rating in the Brasileirão so far this season. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/I0wdgGQRI9
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) September 3, 2024
Following Toni Kroos' retirement, Germany boss Julian Nagelsmann needs another tempo-setter in the middle of the park, with the 37-year-old willing to give VfB Stuttgart's Angelo Stiller the chance to secure his spot in the side. Stiller was Stuttgart's unsung hero in their second-placed finish in the Bundesliga last season, with his distribution key for the German side. Nagelsmann will hope he can transfer his fine club form to country if given the chance.
Arne Engels made his debut for Celtic over the weekend, coming off the bench in the Old Firm win over Rangers. The 20-year-old impressed for Augsburg last season and his solid showings in the middle of the park saw him rewarded with a place in Domenico Tedesco's latest Belgium squad. While best suited through the middle, Engels is able to play out wide and his versatility is a key attribute that Tedesco will look to maximise.
While Ryan Gauld has received a call-up for Scotland in the past, the 28-year-old is yet to win a cap for the Tartan Army. That should change this month with the winger excelling for Vancouver Whitecaps in MLS this season. Gauld has scored nine and provided an additional nine assists in the 2024 MLS campaign, the latter coming from 73 key passes; only three players have made more. Gauld's WhoScored rating of 7.51 is the sixth best in the division and after a shocking Euros campaign, Scotland will hope an injection of fresh blood will give the nation the necessary shot in the arm.
Valentin Castellanos - Argentina
Having been stuck in Ciro Immobile's shadow at Lazio, Valentin Castellanos is maximising the chance to lead the attack for the Serie A side, scoring twice in the opening three league games of the campaign. Argentina don't necessarily need more strikers, with Lautaro Martinez and Julian Alvarez also given a call up for the national team for their World Cup qualifiers, but it's deserved for an impressive start to the season for the 25-year-old.
