Elliott, Jones and Lamptey among England MU21 recalls

Three of the Premier League’s most exciting young talents have been recalled by England men’s under-21s for this month’s two EURO qualifiers, with another trio receiving their first Three Lions call-ups.

Liverpool’s talented duo Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones are back with England MU21s after their respective injuries meant they missed out on the November camp.

There is also a return for Brighton & Hove Albion’s exciting wideman Tariq Lamptey, as well as four other talented youngsters: defenders Lee Buchanan and Levi Samuels-Colwill, PSV winger Noni Madueke and Walsall goalkeeper Carl Rushworth.

Lee Carsley has also given first call-ups to West Ham defender Ben Johnson, Nottingham Forest full-back Djed Spence and Hull City forward Keane Lewis-Potter.

First up for England MU21s will be the visit of Andorra to AFC Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium on Friday 25 March (7.45pm kick-off), with tickets still available for the 2023 UEFA European U21 Championship Qualification Group G clash.

MU21s will then continue their qualifying campaign with a trip to face Albania at the Elbasan Arena on Tuesday 29 March (7.45pm kick-off). 

There are 14 places up for grabs at the 2023 UEFA European U21 Championship alongside joint hosts Romania and Georgia and second-place England currently find themselves three points behind Czech Republic but with two games in hand.

Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi had previously captained MU21s under Carsley but on Thursday he joined the likes of Conor Gallagher and Emile Smith Rowe in making the step up to the senior squad this season after being named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for their Wembley double-header with Switzerland and Cote d’Ivoire.

You can watch MU21s’ clash with Andorra in person by buying tickets here or it will be shown on Sky Sports, and you can follow the action in Albania on our digital platforms.

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Joe Bursik (Stoke City), Etienne Green (Saint-Etienne), Carl Rushworth (Walsall, loan from Brighton & Hove Albion)

Defenders: Lee Buchanan (Derby County), Charlie Cresswell (Leeds United), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Stoke City, loan from Manchester City), Ben Johnson (West Ham United), Tariq Lamptey (Brighton & Hove Albion), Levi Samuels-Colwill (Huddersfield Town, loan from Chelsea), Djed Spence (Nottingham Forest, loan from Middlesbrough) Valentino Livramento (Southampton), Luke Thomas (Leicester City)

Midfielders: Tommy Doyle (Cardiff City, loan from Manchester City), Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Jimmy Garner (Nottingham Forest, loan from Manchester United), Morgan Gibbs White (Sheffield United, loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa)

Forward: Folarin Balogun (Middlesbrough, loan from Arsenal), Angel Gomes (Lille), Anthony Gordon (Everton), Keane Lewis-Potter (Hull City), Noni Madueke (PSV)