England Under-21s are set to kick off their bid for the European Under-21s Championship with a game against the Czech Republic. The Young Lions haven’t won this competition since 1984, but they have a strong squad packed with Premier League talent and are considered one of the favourites, along with Spain and France.
Team News
Lee Carsley’s squad includes stars from Aston Villa, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle. Emile Smith Rowe has overcome his injury problems to feature, while Djed Spence misses out due to a knee injury. The full squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Josh Griffiths (West Bromwich Albion), Carl Rushworth (Brighton and Hove Albion), James Trafford (Manchester City)
Defenders: Max Aarons (Norwich City), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Charlie Cresswell (Leeds United), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Manchester City), Ben Johnson (West Ham United), Luke Thomas (Leicester City)
Midfielders: Tommy Doyle (Manchester City), Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), James Garner (Everton), Angel Gomes (Lille), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa), Oliver Skipp (Tottenham Hotspur)
Forwards: Cameron Archer (Aston Villa), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Cole Palmer (Manchester City) Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)
Game Details
The England U21s vs Czech Republic U21s game will take place on Thursday, June 22, at the Batumi Arena in Georgia. Kick-off is set for 5 pm UK time. TalkSPORT will have live commentary from Olly Clink and former England striker David Nugent. Fans can tune in via the TalkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through their smart speaker, or on 1089 or 1053 AM.
What Has Been Said?
Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey believes this squad’s attitude is different from previous young England sides. Speaking to the press, he said: “One thing that I will say about this group – when we’ve looked at previous groups before, and previous camps, there’s probably a different mentality. I think, before, people have put us down as big favourites and that we’ve gone there to win it. But in this group we’ve got a bit of a humble side. I think everyone knows how well we can play together, and we probably are one of the favourites. We will go into this tournament respecting every team. For my personal opinion in this group, I feel like we’ve got the right balance and, hopefully, when we go out there we will show that.”
Key Players
Morgan Gibbs-White enjoyed a brilliant end to the 2022/23 Premier League season and will play a key role for England. Levi Colwill is another impressive Premier League player involved, while Harvey Elliott will no doubt play a pivotal role. Anthony Gordon will hope to build on his first Newcastle goal on the last day of the season.
Conclusion
England Under-21s have a strong squad packed with Premier League talent and are considered one of the favourites to win the European Under-21s Championship. They open up with a tie against a side that consists mainly of players based in the Czech league, barring Vitezslav Jaros, who plays for Stockport County. Fans can tune in to TalkSPORT for live commentary from Olly Clink and former England striker David Nugent.