With international football here once again, we’ve picked out seven uncapped players who you should look out for over the coming days.
The first international window of the 2025-26 club season might not be welcomed by many fans, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to look forward to.
Every international break offers some players a chance to stake their claim on their national squad, with uncapped individuals sneaking into selections here and there.
With that in mind, we’ve identified a few first-time call-ups who could be worth keeping an eye on over the next week or so.
Maghnes AklioucheFrance
For some, Maghnes Akliouche’s first France call-up has been coming for a while. Les Bleus don’t have a shortage of talent, obviously, though his Monaco coach – Adi Hütter – believes no one else has the “same skills as Maghnes Akliouche”.
Akliouche generally lines up on the right flank at club level, but he’s granted a great deal of freedom, which can see him taking up positions practically anywhere on the pitch.
Blessed with exceptional close control and great balance, Akliouche is elegant and tricky but not needlessly flashy. There is clearly a purpose to much of what he does and his track record for being decisive is impressive.
Across all competitions since the start of the 2023-24 season, his 34 goal involvements (17 goals, 17 assists) is the most of any Monaco player. In terms of goals, there have been back-post tap-ins, solo runs, late arrivals into the box, even a bicycle-kick.
But it’s arguably the quality he brings in terms of creativity that ensures he stands out. There’s a maturity beyond his 23 years to the decisions he makes with the ball in the final third; for instance, his 0.29 expected assists (xA) per 90 was bettered by only four players in Ligue 1 last term, while his overall xA (7.6) was second only to Rayan Cherki (9.8).
His attitude and broad skillset can also be highlighted by his off-ball work, with his 39 ball recoveries in the final third since the start of 2024-25 in Ligue 1 more than any other player.
If he does get on the pitch over the next week or so, he’ll be the sixth member of France’s 2024 Olympics squad to make their senior debut.
Jesús RodríguezSpain
Real Betis’ youth system has been a reliable source of talent over the past few years, and Jesús Rodríguez could be the best of the bunch.
Unfortunately for Betis, budget issues meant they needed to sell in the summer and Rodríguez – who’d also attracted interest from Aston Villa – had emerged as one of their most-valuable assets. Big-spending Como were the ones who took the plunge.
Rodriguez’s general skillset makes him an exciting prospect in that he’s technically very good, but he’s also taller than your average winger and could also become a real handful physically as he continues to develop.
For the moment, though, it’s very much his ability and bravery on the ball that make him stand out.
From his debut with Betis on 1 December 2024 until the end of the last season, only Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (342) and Athletic Club’s Nico Williams (203) attempted more dribbles among La Liga players in all competitions than Rodríguez (115).
He’s started on a similar note since moving to Como, too.
His 14 dribbles in Serie A this term is the most of all players, while he’s one of only two Como players to create more than one chance following a carry (2, level with Mërgim Vojvoda).
Similarly, his 12 carries progressing the ball at least 10 metres upfield has only been bettered by Matteo Politano (15) and Matías Soulé (14) among non-defenders in Serie A this season.
He’s done enough to catch the eye of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, but he’ll need to continue developing if he’s to keep his place with La Roja.
Francesco Pio EspositoItaly
Francesco Pio Esposito has been highly rated for a few years now, having broken into Inter’s Under-19s as a 17-year-old. But instead of forcing him to battle for minutes in the first team, he’s spent the past two seasons on loan in Serie B with Spezia.
While goals may not have been particularly forthcoming in his first season, he was still named Serie B’s Young Player of the Season despite netting just three in 38 league games.
In front of goal, he enjoyed a far more fruitful 2024-25.
Esposito scored 17 times in the regular season, with his 16 non-penalty goals more than anyone else in Italy’s second tier. Similarly, his 117 shots were at least 26 more than everyone else in the competition, while he also recorded the most touches in the opposition’s box (240).
Tall, athletic and technically strong, Esposito’s game is well rounded and underpins his potential. Let’s not forget, he doesn’t turn 21 until next June.
After impressing at Spezia, he was welcomed back to Inter for their FIFA Club World Cup campaign, and he’ll be in the first-team squad for the 2025-26 season.
Italy have struggled to truly settle on a first-choice centre-forward in recent years – they’ll hope Esposito can grow into that role.
Sem SteijnNetherlands
It might be a tall order for Sem Steijn to get himself into regular contention for the Netherlands, but it’s fair to say he’s worthy of a chance to show what he can do.
The 23-year-old attacking midfielder was the Eredivisie’s top scorer (24 goals) last term in the regular season, an incredible achievement considering he isn’t a nominal centre-forward and wasn’t representing one of the league’s biggest clubs.
He’s since left Twente for Feyenoord, taking the captain’s armband straightaway, but there’s no doubt his exploits in 2024-25 have played a part in him getting a call from Ronald Koeman.
Steijn was just the third Twente player ever to finish a season as the Eredivisie’s top scorer, while he became the second midfielder – after Jari Litmanen (26 in 1993-94) – to win the league’s Golden Boot award. He was also the youngest player net 24+ goals in the Eredivisie since Vincent Janssen in 2015-16 (27 as a 21-year-old).
His impressive haul helped him reach 50 career Eredivisie goals, making him the first Dutch player to get his half-century in fewer than 100 matches (98) since Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in 2006 (75).
And he’s already become an influential player in Feyenoord’s attack, with his 25 shot involvements seven more than any of his teammates.
Whether he can be a similarly effective box-crashing number 10 at international level remains to be seen, but a first cap will be a just reward if Koeman gives him a chance.
Nnamdi CollinsGermany
After a nasty knee injury disrupted his development as a teenager at Borussia Dortmund, Nnamdi Collins has found his way again and made significant strides in the past year. Case in point: his first call-up to Germany’s senior team.
After joining Eintracht Frankfurt in August 2023, much of Collins’ first campaign at the club saw him representing their second team, but last term he became a full-time member of their senior squad.
While also comfortable playing right-back, Collins became a regular at centre-back in 2024-25, particularly after the turn of the year; since the start of 2025, he has played in all but one of Frankfurt’s 21 Bundesliga matches.
He’s tall, tough, comfortable on the ball and very quick, with his top speed of 35.77 km/h seeing him rank 24th among all Bundesliga players last term.
If he kicks on, 2025-26 will be a big season for Collins. With international recognition closer than ever, this season might also end with a World Cup spot.
Paul NebelGermany
The 2024-25 season began with Paul Nebel filling the role of squad player at Mainz having just spent two years on loan at Karlsruher in the second tier. But he finished the campaign as arguably the first name on the teamsheet for one of the biggest surprise packages in the Bundesliga, and now he’s in Germany’s senior squad.
Nebel’s return to the top tier last term proved a very fruitful one. The diminutive attacking midfielder/winger recorded 14 goal involvements for the campaign, playing an important role as Mainz finished sixth to qualify for the UEFA Conference League.
A regular throughout the German age-group teams, Nebel has always been regarded as a player with potential. But 2024-25 saw that brought to the top tier for the first time.
Agile and slippery in tight spaces, Nebel possesses significant technical quality, and he combines this with intelligence and a purposeful attitude that seems to always have him thinking one step ahead, whether that’s in the form of a quick offload or darting off-ball run immediately after releasing possession.
He also works incredibly hard, with only two players recording more high-intensity pressures than him (1,414) in the Bundesliga last season.
But it’s his effectiveness in front of goal that saw him catch the eye the most. Late arrivals into the box have been a feature of his game, and he’s consistently supplied crisp finishes.
Completely confident on either foot, Nebel’s proven a reliable goal threat from midfield. While his 10 goals in 2024-25 was considerably higher than his 5.3 expected goals, only one of them was from outside the box, and just one other you could say was lucky.
Germany have a lot of talent, but Nebel is in the squad on merit.
Elliot AndersonEngland
Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson was unfortunate not to get himself into the England squad last year. There are certainly plenty who felt he deserved to be in the selection.
While there was a pang of sadness regarding his move from Newcastle last year, joining Forest and playing under Nuno Espírito Santo has been the making of Anderson.
During his formative years at Newcastle and on loan in League Two with Bristol Rovers, he was often used as a number 10. Then, having broken into the senior Newcastle side under Eddie Howe, he’d frequently feature from the left or even as a number 8.
Such versatility reflected well on his general ability and on-field intelligence, and it has been an aspect of his time at Forest too, though he has settled more into a deep-lying midfield role with the freedom to roam.
But rather than dictating play with an expansive range of passing, it’s the drive he possesses that’s his greatest weapon. For instance, only four nominal defensive midfielders – two of whom played considerably more than his 2,742 minutes – progressed the ball further up the pitch via carries (movements of at least five metres with the ball) than Anderson’s 1,779m in the Premier League last term.
Among the same group of players, he ranked sixth for progressive carries (189), and when compared with all central and defensive midfielders last season, only eight could better his 19 carries ending in a shot or chance created.
But his progressiveness shouldn’t be seen as Anderson neglecting his defensive responsibilities. Far from it, in fact.
Among all Premier League players to feature for at least 900 minutes in 2024-25, only four won possession more often per 90 minutes than Anderson (6.8).
He can win the ball back, he can carry it forward with purpose himself, and he can also play a decisive pass; his six assists in 2024-25 were bettered by just six nominal central/defensive midfielders.
There’s a lot he can offer England and Thomas Tuchel.
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