GEORGIA Stanway has been picked out as one of the eight players to watch as England kick-off their UEFA Women's Under-19s Championship against Italy this afternoon.

Stanway is part of the Young Lionesses squad looking to reach at least the last four in Northern Ireland to qualify for the World Cup.

The 18-year-old Manchester City Women's Super League ace has been highlighted by the UEFA website as one of the top players in the tournament.

Ahead of the England opener against the Italians in Lurgan (3pm kick-off), uefa.com highlighted Stanway as England's star, alongside the likes of Germany striker Laura Freigang and Spanish hotshot Lucia Garcia.

The website said of the Barrow teenager: “Stanway is a precocious striker who hit the headlines aged 16 with 35 goals in 15 games for Blackburn to earn a move to Manchester City. The 18-year-old, who is a technical player with an eye for the spectacular, has been similarly prolific at youth level for England.”

Stanway made her England Under-19s debut earlier this year and has shown no signs of letting up the goal-scoring prowess she displayed previously in helping the under-17s to their World Cup.

She scored a hat-trick on he under-19s debut against Italy in a 4-0 win in the La Manga tournament in Spain, and followed up by helping the young Lionesses come through qualifying for the Euros.

She was also on target in a pre-tournament warm-up match against the USA, continuing her record in scoring in every match she has played for the side.

After their match-up with Italy, England will play the Netherlands at Windsor Park, Belfast, on Friday, and France at Ballymena on Monday. The top two teams in the group will progress to the semi-finals.