Each iteration of European Championships and World Cups tend to throw up a handful of names unbeknownst to Premier League audiences, who go on to lead their countries to relative success.
James Rodriguez lit up the 2014 World Cup for Colombia, El Hadji Diouf starred as Senegal surprised at the 2002 World Cup and Roman Pavlyuchenko earned himself a move to Tottenham on the back of a strong EURO 2008 showing.
Leeds United and their recruitment team will no doubt be watching the tournament diligently next summer, hoping to snare one of European football's brightest new names.
However, knowing the efficiency of the recruitment staff at Elland Road, Victor Orta and his crack team will already be aware of the potential breakouts this summer. It would be a smart move in which case, to make a pre-emptive strike and sign those who could see their values sky-rocket following an impressive Euros performance.
LeedsLive explores which names on the club's long list they should pursue this winter.
Cody Gakpo - PSV Eindhoven
21-year-old Dutch youth international Cody Gakpo is yet to make his senior Netherlands bow but could be a late addition to Ronald Koeman's squad next summer. The PSV man is a tall, well-built inside forward who predominantly plays off the left-hand side.
Despite the addition of Raphinha this summer, Leeds are still relatively light in out-and-out attacking wide options, but Gakpo is exactly that. Whether the club have agreed a deal for Jack Harrison with Manchester City yet doesn't matter; Gakpo would still add plenty and could certainly play through the middle on occasion too. This year is proving to be his breakout season with the Dutch giants, having already scored seven times in 11 games across all competitions, as per WhoScored.
Koeman has promoted the likes of AFC Ajax's Ryan Gravenberch and Gakpo's PSV teammate Mohammed Ihattaren to the senior Dutch squad, both of whom are younger than the left-forward. It shows a willingness to blood youngsters in the side who will take on Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia in a very winnable Group C.
Vitaliy Mykolenko - FC Dynamo Kyiv
Joining Gakpo in Group C is Ukrainian full-back Vitaliy Mykolenko. The Dynamo man will have just turned 22 as the tournament begins, but is already his country's first-choice left-back. He has great speed going forward, an incredible engine and loves to cross, making him a perfect fit for this Leeds United side.
Stuart Dallas and Ezgjan Alioski have shared time at left-back throughout Marcelo Bielsa's spell but the duo are both nearing their 30s and neither are natural left-backs. Mykolenko encompasses the positive, energetic aspects that make Dallas and Alioski effective in the role they currently share, but the Ukrainian also brings positional discipline, owing to his time spent at centre-back at youth international and club level.
There may be complications over the transfer of non-EU players joining the Premier League post-Brexit, but Mykolenko is certainly a player which clubs should make room for.
Marcus Forss - Brentford
Finland will be making their first appearance at a major tournament this summer, and doing so with a smattering of young talent spread throughout the squad. Marcus Forss is a young forward with only a handful of caps to his name but possesses great potential.
Identified by English football's answer to Moneyball: Brentford, Forss boasts an impressive goalscoring run in the EFL. Last season, he managed to score 11 times on loan at AFC Wimbledon, while this season - operating in Ivan Toney's shadow - Forss has netted six times in 13 outings for the Bees.
Brentford have pedigree when it comes to developing Premier League strikers. Neal Maupay and Ollie Watkins were both signed by the London club when they were relative nobodies, but have since gone on to star for Brighton and Aston Villa. A strong showing between now and the end of the season could pave the way for Forss to be next.
