Eduardo Camavinga (Stade Rennais FC)

Camavinga might have been included in the senior France squad for the start of their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign this week but instead his inclusion in coach Sylvain Ripoll’s Under-21 squad underlines how seriously Les Bleuets are taking the tournament. Camavinga has only played once before the Under-21s, in a qualifier against Georgia in November 2019. He made his full international debut against Croatia last September and then scored his first France goal in a friendly against Ukraine in October, all before his 18th birthday. The midfielder only turned 18 in November and his form has actually dipped in recent weeks along with that of his club Rennes. However he has the potential to be one of the stars of the Euro.

>> PLAYER PROFILE: Eduardo Camavinga

Aurélien Tchouaméni (AS Monaco)

The powerful 21-year-old Normandy-born midfielder is enjoying a sensational season with an AS Monaco side fighting for Champions League qualification. His partnership with Youssouf Fofana has been key to Monaco’s success and his performances convinced Ripoll to include Tchouaméni in his squad. Tchouaméni initially broke through at Girondins de Bordeaux before being sold to Monaco in January in January 2020 for a reported fee of up to €20 million. He has not yet been capped by France at Under-21 level but has played for his country up to the Under-20 age group.

>> PLAYER PROFILE: Aurélien Tchouaméni

Boubacar Kamara (Olympique de Marseille)

Kamara, 21, initially broke into the first team at his hometown club Marseille playing in central defence but he has gone on to flourish in a holding midfield role at the Vélodrome and is now OM’s greatest asset, a player who could be sold on for big money in the summer with only a year left on his contract. Kamara has hardly missed a match for Marseille this season, including in the UEFA Champions League, so has accumulated plenty of big-game experience. Part of the France side at the Under-20 World Cup in Poland in 2019, Kamara went on to play a key role for Les Bleuets in qualifying for the Under-21 Euro and has so far won eight caps at this level.

>> PLAYER PROFILE: Boubacar Kamara

Amine Gouiri (OGC Nice)

Gouiri’s decision to leave Olympique Lyonnais for Nice last summer is paying off handsomely. Yet another product of Lyon’s prolific academy, the striker nevertheless felt he had leave the Groupama Stadium to get a proper chance of first-team football. After breaking through at OL in the 2017-18 campaign, injuries disrupted his development and he made just five first-team appearances last season, including just one minute in the league. So Gouiri decided to leave for Nice in a €7 million transfer and he has been one of the few bright spots in a difficult season for the Côte d’Azur outfit. Gouiri has scored 12 Ligue 1 goals and has 16 in 36 appearances in all competitions. The striker, who turned 21 last month, was France’s top scorer at the Under-20 World Cup in Poland in 2019. He has four goals in eight appearances at Under-21 level.

>> PLAYER PROFILE: Amine Gouiri

Faitout Maouassa (Stade Rennais FC)

Maouassa, who will turn 23 in July, is one of the oldest members of the squad. The left-back, who hails from the Paris suburbs, played alongside Kylian Mbappé in the France side that won the Under-19 Euro in 2016. He broke through in Ligue 1 the following season with AS Nancy Lorraine before being sold to Rennes in 2017. He played no part in the Rennes side that won the Coupe de France in 2019 as he spent that campaign on loan at Nîmes Olympique, but Maouassa returned to Brittany and was a regular in the team that qualified for the Champions League last season. Maouassa, who has three caps at Under-21 level, will hope to start at left-back ahead of his Rennes colleague Adrien Truffert.

>> PLAYER PROFILE: Faitout Maouassa

- France are in Group C at the Under-21 Euro and play group games in Hungary against Denmark, Russia and Iceland. They need to finish in the top two in their group to qualify for the quarter-finals, which will be played at the end of May.