Phil Foden and James Maddison in England U21 Euro 2019 squad
Written by News on 27/05/2019
Phil Foden and James Maddison have been included in England’s U21 squad for the European U21 Championships this summer.
Maddison’s Leicester team-mates Demarai Gray, Harvey Barnes and Hamza Choudhury have also been named in the 23-man squad, along with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tammy Abraham, Ryan Sessegnon and Wolves’ Morgan Gibbs-White, who earns his first Under-21s call-up.
The Young Lions will be looking to go one better than the 2017 tournament where they were knocked out by eventual winners Germany on penalties in the semi-finals.
Aidy Boothroyd’s squad are currently training at St George’s Park and will fly out on Tuesday, June 4, to Italy, where they will face France, Romania and Croatia in the group stages, with all the games live on Sky Sports.
Speaking to the FA’s official website, Boothroyd said: “This is a really strong squad and I’m really pleased with the group of players I’ve got who will be representing us at the Euros. We have a big pool of talent in the England set-up and I had some tough selection decisions to make as there’s a lot of strength in depth.
“It’s always a really tough tournament and I think this year is as strong as it has ever been. It’s a great opportunity for our players to showcase their talents as individuals and as a team.
“The next two weeks at St George’s Park are really crucial to our preparation. We’re working hard and getting right to the exciting part of going to Italy and kicking off our tournament against France. It’s important we use every second of our preparation towards being successful at the Euros.”
England U21 squad
Goalkeepers: Angus Gunn (Southampton), Dean Henderson (Manchester United), Freddie Woodman (Newcastle United)
Defenders: Jake Clarke-Salter (Chelsea), Jay Dasilva (Chelsea), Lloyd Kelly (AFC Bournemouth), Jonjoe Kenny (Everton), Ezri Konsa (Brentford), Fikayo Tomori (Derby County, loan from Chelsea), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace)
Midfielders: Harvey Barnes (Leicester City), Hamza Choudhury (Leicester City), Kieran Dowell (Everton), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolverhampton Wanderers), James Maddison (Leicester City), Mason Mount (Derby County, loan from Chelsea), Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham)
Forwards: Tammy Abraham (Aston Villa, loan from Chelsea), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Demarai Gray (Leicester City), Reiss Nelson (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (AFC Bournemouth)
Maddison’s chance to shine
James Maddison’s early-season form for Leicester earned him a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s senior England squad in October, but the 22-year-old has since been overlooked.
However, it is all part of the Southgate plan, with the England manager naming Maddison – as well as Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Ryan Sessegnon – as players he wanted to gain tournament experience together.
As well as confirming that he will be watching on in Italy and San Marino, Southgate also said he would be taking some training sessions with the U21s before the squad heads over.
Under Southgate’s watchful eye, Maddison will hope the tournament provides a platform whereby he can make an early claim for a spot in next year’s Euro 2020 squad.
The 2000 trio
Three players born in the year 2000 feature in Boothroyd’s squad – Phil Foden, Ryan Sessegnon and Morgan Gibbs-White.
Foden, who turns 19 on Tuesday, is already a two-time Premier League winner with Manchester City, and the Stockport-born midfielder will hope a successful summer tournament can boost his prospects further as he looks to further increase his game-time under Pep Guardiola, having made 13 league appearances in 2018-19 (327 minutes) compared to five (43 minutes) in 2017-18.
For Sessegnon, the European Championships could add some value to his price tag, with the Fulham full-back and winger – who has one year left on his contract at Craven Cottage – linked with Manchester United, Tottenham and Juventus since the window opened.
And finally, Gibbs-White. A scorer, like Foden, in England U17’s World Cup final triumph two years ago, a first U21 call-up caps off an impressive breakthrough season at Wolves, for whom he played 26 times in the Premier League, including five starts.
When and where is the European Under-21 Championship?
The 2019 tournament is being hosted by Italy and San Marino and runs from June 16 to June 30.
There will be five venues in Italy and one in San Marino.
When are England’s games?
England are in Group C and kick-off their tournament against joint-second favourites France in Cesena at 8pm on June 18, with 13 goals scored in the last three games between the sides.
How can I follow it?
The 2019 U21 Euros will be live on Sky Sports. You will also be able to follow selected games with our live blogs at www.skysports.com or with the Sky Sports app.
Where can I watch the games?
Every game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports across the two-week tournament. Catch every match from Italy and San Marino on your set-top box or via the Sky Sports app, follow all the action online at skysports.com or buy a NOW TV pass to make sure you’re on top of everything for as little as £5.99 a month.
Who’s in the Sky Sports line-up?
Martin Tyler and Andy Hinchcliffe will provide the commentary and analysis on every England game in Italy and San Marino.
Presenter David Prutton will also be joined in the Sky Sports studio by expert pundits Liam Rosenior, Jamie O’Hara and others across the tournament, with Guy Havord and Adam Smith keeping you up-to-date with all the latest from inside the England camp every day on Sky Sports News.
When’s the final?
The final will be held in Udinese’s 25,144-capacity Stadio Friuli at 7.45pm on June 30.
(c) Sky News 2019: Phil Foden and James Maddison in England U21 Euro 2019 squad
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