Published 31 August 2021 3 min read
Men's U21
Lescott links up with Young Lions
Former Three Lions defender becomes the latest member of Lee Carsley's coaching staff
Joleon Lescott is to join Lee Carsley’s England men's under-21s coaching team.
The 39-year-old will support head coach Carsley alongside his assistant Ashley Cole and goalkeeping coach Tim Dittmer during the Young Lions’ international camps this season.
A two-time Premier League winner, Lescott won 26 caps for England's senior team and was a member of the Three Lions squad that reached the quarter-finals of UEFA EURO 2012. He also earned caps for our development teams between MU17 and MU21 level prior to that.
Lescott hung up his boots in 2017 after a glittering 17-year playing career that saw him amass over 600 games for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton, Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa, AEK Athens and Sunderland.
Since then the former defender has gained his UEFA A coaching licence and was recently responsible for the development of Manchester City’s loan players.
Confirming the news ahead of September's games with Romania and Kosovio, Carsley said: “I’m delighted to be able to add somebody of Joleon’s stature to my coaching team.
“Having played with Joleon at Everton, I know exactly what his mentality was as a player and can now look forward to helping him prosper as a coach.
“He's another experienced head who will be able to give our players valuable insight into what it takes to represent your country at the highest level.”
Meanwhile, Aston Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey will miss the forthcoming MU21s' fixtures as he continues to follow government guidelines with regards to COVID-19.
Carsley’s squad kick-off the new season with a trip to face Romania for an U21 international at the Steaua Bucharest Stadium on Friday 3 September (7pm kick-off BST).
The Young Lions will then head to Stadium MK to host Kosovo on Tuesday 7 September (7pm kick-off BST) for the start of a qualifying group that also includes Slovenia, Andorra, Czech Republic, Georgia and Albania. The 2023 UEFA U21 EURO is due to be staged in Romania and Georgia.
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