England MU18s squad named for France double header

Neil Ryan has named a 27-player squad for England men’s under-18s’ double header against France at St. George’s Park.

The Young Lions will play their first fixture on Thursday 9 October (6pm BST kick-off) at the National Football Centre.

England will then face Les Bleuets in the second of the two games on Sunday 12 October (2pm BST kick-off).

Ryan’s team are gearing up for the 2025 FIFA U17 World Cup which takes place in Qatar in November.

The Young Lions got their preparations for the tournament off to a flying start, registering three wins from three in September at the Costa De La Luz U18 international tournament – which they were crowned champions of – in Spain.

England ran out 3-1 winners against Uzbekistan before beating Morocco 4-1 and signing off September with a 3-2 victory over Canada.

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Owen Asemota (Aston Villa), Lanre Awesu (West Ham United), Dylan Moody (Southampton), Jack Porter (Arsenal)

Defenders: Kaden Braithwaite (Manchester City), Jun’ai Byfield (Tottenham Hotspur), Dante Headley (Manchester City), Wesley Okoduwa (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Freddie Simmonds (Brighton and Hove Albion), Elijah Upson (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders: Landon Emenalo (Chelsea), Bradley Burrowes (Aston Villa), Ifeoluwa Ibrahim (Arsenal), Bendito Mantato (Manchester United), Harrison Miles (Manchester City), Louis Page (Leicester City), Seth Ridgeon (Fulham), Reggie Walsh (Chelsea)

Forwards: Benjamin Casey (Crystal Palace), Chizaram Ezenwata (Chelsea), Reigan Heskey (Manchester City), Harry Howell (Brighton and Hove Albion), Ryan McAidoo (Manchester City), Alejandro Rodriguez (Olympique Lyonnais), Tynan Thompson (Tottenham Hotspur), Igor Tyjon (Blackburn Rovers), Luca Williams-Barnett (Tottenham Hotspur)