England squad named for U19 EURO Finals

England men’s under-19s head to Slovakia for the UEFA U19 EURO Finals this month and head coach Ian Foster has selected his squad for the competition.

The Young Lions qualified for the Finals after coming through two qualifying stages over the course of the season, and a 21-man squad has been named for the trip.

Foster has been able to call upon the majority of the players who helped him reach the last eight of the competition.

But there is one new face in the group in the shape of Jamie Bynoe-Gittens from Borussia Dortmund, who has previously featured for the MU18s this season.

England will face three games in their initial group stage, starting against Austria on Sunday evening at the Banska Bystrica Stadium.

After that, it’s Serbia at the same venue on Wednesday 22 June before their third match against Israel will be staged at the Ziar nad Hronom Stadium on Saturday 25 June.

All three games kick-off at 7pm BST and will be screened in the UK on BBC iPlayer.

The U19 EURO Finals format will see the top two from each group progress into the semi-finals, which take place on 28 June.

With five European slots available at the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup in Indonesia, the semi-finalists will also qualify for that tournament and then the two third-place teams from each group will be involved in a play-off game for the fifth and final spot.

The Final will then be held at the Trnava Stadium on 1 July.

Speaking of the squad selection, Foster said: “It’s extremely difficult to gain qualification for the U19’s EUROs. Only seven of the 53 nations in both the Qualifying Round and the Elite Round make the cut so we’re delighted to be here.  It is particularly special for this age group as they missed out on the opportunity to represent England at a U17 EUROs due to the pandemic. 

“Over the course of the season, many players have helped us get to where we are now and that made the final squad selection very challenging. Each player that has represented the U19s this season has played their part in our journey to Slovakia. Those players who haven’t made the squad will no doubt be disappointed, but their England journey is by no means over, they will get opportunities in the future for sure. 

“Five of the eight teams here will qualify for the FIFA U20 World Cup in 2023 so there is an extra incentive for the players to progress out of Group B. We are grateful to all of the clubs who have shown unwavering support of us selecting their players as they recognise the importance of this tournament in terms of the players’ development. 

“This group of players have a real togetherness and that will be invaluable for us in this tournament. We know that if we play to our potential that we will give ourselves every opportunity to make this EUROs a truly memorable one.”

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Matthew Cox (Brentford), Harvey Davies (Liverpool), Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea)

Defenders: Luke Chambers (Liverpool), Callum Doyle (Manchester City), Ronnie Edwards (Peterborough United), Bashir Humphreys (Chelsea), Brooke Norton-Cuffy (Arsenal), Daniel Oyegoke (Brentford), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool)

Midfielders: Carney Chukwuemeka (Aston Villa), Alfie Devine (Tottenham Hotspur), Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (Borussia Dortmund), Sam Iling-Junior (Juventus), Tim Iroegbunam (Aston Villa), Aaron Ramsey (Aston Villa), Alex Scott (Bristol City), Harvey Vale (Chelsea)

Forwards: Liam Delap (Manchester City), Daniel Jebbison (Sheffield United), Dane Scarlett (Tottenham Hotspur)