Three most underused top players in Euro 2020

Bengaluru, July 8: This has been an incredible European Championship so far. Shocking upsets, exciting comebacks, extra time drama, penalty shootouts, incredible goals, emerging young players, underdog teams performing much beyond expectations - the Euros have been exciting for all the neutrals across the world.

We have seen some breakaway stars impressing in the tournament while some star names have failed to deliver. A number of big name players have struggled to break into the starting XI and in this article, we will take a look at three such underused big-name players.

1. Florian Neuhaus - Germany

Germany have had a pretty underwhelming Euro campaign as they got knocked out from the Round of 16 in the hands of rivals England. Joachim Low did not have too much liberty to rotate his squad with the Germans drawn in the 'Group of Death' and therefore, a number of big-name players did not get much opportunity on the pitch.

Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Florian Neuhaus, regarded as one of the finest in his position in Bundesliga, did not even get a single minute on the pitch and deserves a place in this list. Linked with top clubs like Liverpool, Spurs and Real Madrid, Neuhaus was expected to be one of the German players to watch out for in the Euros and Joachim Low certainly let down the eagle-eye scouts of top clubs across the continent.

2. Rúben Neves - Portugal

Rúben Neves did not have the best of seasons with Wolverhampton Wanderers but he still remains a hot property in the European football circuit with top clubs chasing his signature for several years now. However, the 24-year-old midfield dynamo was restricted to just 17 minutes of first team action as he was introduced from the bench in the 2-2 stalemate against France. Portugal boss Fernando Santos mostly opted for experience in the middle of the park as Neves found it difficult to break into the starting XI and it is hardly a surprise that his selection has come under severe scrutiny following the Selecao's exit from the Round of 16.

3. Thiago Alcantara - Spain

With the wealth of talent and options at the disposal in the middle of the park for Spain, any manager would become spoilt for choices and Luis Enrique has been no different. Although the selection in midfield of the former treble-winning manager has worked well for La Roja as they went all the way to the semi finals, his decision to overlook Thiago Alcantara would have caused plenty of stir if it went the other way round. Thiago is one of the most gifted players in his position in the whole world and trumps all of the Spanish midfielders barring Busquets with his experience at the top level but he was restricted to just 65 minutes of action and all of them was from the bench. The 30-year-old is certainly the biggest player a manager has chosen to overlook in the whole tournament.