Three flying Dutchmen England U21s must stop!  | OneFootball

Lee Carsley's England have mounted a sterling title defence so far at the Under-21 Euros in Slovakia - and here are three top talents from the Netherlands that the Young Lions need to keep quiet in the two sides' eagerly-anticipated semi-final on Wednesday.

Strikes from James McAtee and Harvey Elliott, along with an Elliot Anderson penalty, helped England record an impressive 3-1 win over Spain in the last eight on Saturday and Carsley's side will now meet a Dutch outfit who beat Portugal 1-0 on the same day, despite having forward Ruben van Bommell sent off after just 21 minutes.

Ahead of this Wednesday's clash (17:00 kick off), here are the Netherlands' three most highly-rated players based on their current Playmaker market values.

Netherlands Under-21s | Three to watch

Jorrell Hato (€34million)  Position:Centre-back

Those unfamiliar with the 18-year-old defender's name have obviously not been following the world of transfer rumours very closely - as the Ajax teenager has been linked with almost every top Premier League team this summer.

Although he is tipped to stay at Ajax, the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool are reportedly all tracking Hato - who is, by all accounts, a classy ball-playing centre-back who excels in his defensive work. Aggressive without the ball and progressive with it, Carsley and his staff will need to find ways to take Hato out of his comfort zone, or simply target other more vulnerable areas in the Netherlands' defence. Although, as you will see, their best talents arguably all feature in their backline!

Ian Maatsen (€29million)  Position: Left-back

Premier League fans are obviously familiar with 23-year-old Maatsen given his background as a Chelsea academy graduate, and the fact he made 45 appearances in his first campaign at Aston Villa last term.

He may be one of the smallest players in the English top flight at 5ft 6in, but Maatsen's speed and intensity make him an expansive threat going forward and a tough adversary defensively for opposing wingers.

Signed by Unai Emery after an outstanding stint with Borussia Dortmund, for whom he played in the 2023/24 Champions League final, Maatsen will be adding tactical acumen to his game at Villa Park and can potentially give the Dutch some insider information on the Young Lions.

Ryan Flamingo (€21million)  Position: Defender

Midfielder Kenneth Taylor (valued at €27million by Playmaker) is suspended for the semi-final against England, so the third on our list of Dutch dangermen is PSV's Ryan Flamingo.

Another defender, Flamingo played 49 games in his first season at PSV last season, as the Eindhoven side surged past Ajax at the death to sensationally win the Dutch top flight.

One of five players (+Hato, Rensch, Taylor and Roefs) to play every minute for the Dutch Under-21s at these Euros, Flamingo is a polished and imposing performer.