Young skill on show: Five Copa America fledglings to look out for

Much has been made of Copa America giants Argentina and Brazil’s favouring of the old guard after squad selections for the prestigious South American tournament were announced.

The two titans of world football seemingly have a never ending conveyor belt of footballing prodigies at their disposal but have opted for experience instead, as three exciting Argentine strikers in Paulo Dybala, Mauro Icardi and Luciano Vietto failed to make the cut, while Brazilian wing whiz Felipe Anderson and midfield shield Casemiro were the only Samba starlets of note to be considered, though the former remains only on standby.

For those fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the future in Chile, however, all is not lost, as some of South America’s next generation will still be on show. Here are five worth watching…

Sebastian Gamarra (18, Bolivia)
AC Milan’s Primavera playmaker is mooted to be a future star in midfield, and finally a maybe a talent for Bolivian fans to really cheer. This Copa America could come too soon for the youngster, capped just once for his country, but it is great show of faith from coach Mauricio Soria to take him to Chile.

Bolivia are huge outsiders in the tournament so, with little to lose, the Rossoneri maestro in waiting could rack up some crucial minutes.

A selection of Gamarra’s highlights:

Angelo Henriquez (21, Chile)
The Manchester United-owned marksman is an exciting and somewhat unexpected addition to the hosts’ squad (4/1 with Coral to win the 2015 Copa America), having only five caps, but two goals in those games have shown the strikers’ potential.

Plucked from Universidad de Chile in 2012 by the Red Devils, the youngster had been creating waves in his homeland. Loan struggles at Wigan Athletic and Real Zaragoza followed, but his recent sensational season with Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb put the dangerman back on the map.