Defensive midfield is one of the least appreciated roles in the footballing world. Scoring goals is always the main goal in the beautiful game, but when you have a world class player protecting your backline you are in safe spot.

Let’s take a look at three defensive midfielders who will shine at the Euros:

1) N’Golo Kante: Imagine having a discussion about defensive midfielders and not mentioning N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman has undoubtedly been the best player in his position since 2015.

After winning the Premier League title with two different teams in consecutive seasons, his performances had slipped off a bit in the last years. But he has got back to his best under Thomas Tuchel which was clearly visible in the Champions League semi-final matches against Real Madrid. He will be one of the most important cogs in the French lineup.

2) Joshua Kimmich: Joshua Kimmich is a fantastic footballer. He is arguably the most versatile player at the moment. World class at right back, world class at central midfield, he is a manager’s dream. His primary position at Bayern Munich is defensive midfield at the moment, but with the presence of some quality midfielders at Joachim Lowe’s disposal he could also play at Right Back. Nevertheless, he will be one of the players to keep an eye out for during this summer’s extravaganza as he is someone who can dictate the terms of the match.

3) Frenkie de Jong: Frenkie de Jong has been very important to Netherlands’ resurgence during the last few years. Netherlands has a very exciting squad but will be missing their captain Virgil van Dijk in the tournament.

Frank de Boer’s team will should make it to the knockout stages, but well they perform after that will be down to some of their senior pros like Wijnaldum, Depay and most importantly Frenkie de Jong. He had a fruitful season for Barcelona, which is a great sign for his country’s hopes for European glory this summer.