How the Young Lions are bonding over UNO and Wolf

England men’s under-21s duo Jamie Gittens and James Beadle offered an insight into how the Young Lions are bonding during the October camp, both on and off the pitch.

The pair, who are adapting to new roles within the team this term, now cut experienced figures in the squad, with Gittens having made his MU21s debut back in September 2023 and Beadle fresh off the back of being crowned a European champion.

And they revealed the players have been getting to know each other through some competitive card games.

“I love being with the under-21s,” said Gittens. “It’s such a good group of boys. It’s good vibes really. It’s just fun to be here with these guys.

“We’ve been doing some games like UNO, for example, or Wolf, just trying to get everyone to laugh a little bit.

“When I first came to the under-21s, I was the younger one, so I was a lot more quiet and just in my own lane.

“I think now, I have to be more of a leader in terms of speaking to people, getting everyone involved and just trying to be the so-called old head in a way, so everyone can come to me and speak to me about things.”

“It’s nice to meet everyone,” added Beadle. “A lot of the lads already know each other from all the ages before. I know some of the lads from the under-15s which is quite funny.

“In the under-21s, the groups mix a lot which is good and you get to know some of the younger lads.

“I’m used to being one of the younger ones and now I’m one of the older ones, so it’s a bit different. It’s a different role in the team almost – more of a leadership role than I’ve had in the last few camps.”

England kicked off their 2027 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign last time out with a 2-0 win over Kazakhstan, with two more qualifiers pencilled for this month.

“That was our first game together as this new group,” explained Gittens. “At first, we were trying to get to grips with everyone’s playing styles and seeing what everyone likes and doesn’t like.

“We did well in that game. We controlled the game well, we were dominant and we’ve got to keep on doing that in the next games.”

“I thought especially in the first half, we played really well,” said Beadle. “We kind of blew them away. Then in the second half, we weren’t as good but we’ve looked back at the clips and seen the thing we need to work on, so it’s all positive I think.”

First up, the Young Lions take on Moldova on Friday 10 October (5pm BST kick-off) at Stadionul Zimbru.

“It should be a tough game,” continued Gittens. “It’s a different team that we’re playing against and they’re going to try and do their best to do everything to put us off and we’ve got to expect that and we’ve got to just be ready for the game.”

Lee Carsley’s side then go head-to-head with Andorra at Derby County’s Pride Park on Monday 13 October (7.45pm BST kick-off), marking England’s first game back on home soil since their success in the summer.

“Similar to the Moldova game but it’s going to be at home, so we’ll probably be a lot more confident,” explained Gittens.

“It should be a very intense game. It should be very exciting. The fans should be looking forward to seeing creative football, fun football, lots of dribbling and lots of attacking action.”

Goalkeeper Beadle, a member of the EURO-winning squad, has been inspired by his former teammates – some of whom have made the step up to the seniors, with Elliot Anderson and Jarell Quansah included in Thomas Tuchel’s latest squad and Tino Livramento having also caught the eye of the Three Lions boss.

“It’s just unbelievable,” continued Beadle. “It shows that there’s definitely a pathway.

“We saw that the manager was there watching the final, so it just shows there is a pathway into the first team and if you perform well, you will get a chance.

“It was a massive experience for me and a great achievement for all of us. You want to win but you want to play a big part in winning it. Being in the Team of the Tournament was a really big achievement that I’m proud of.

“It’s probably elevated my status a little bit which has been good. Obviously, I got a good move off the back of it.”

The Young Lions will play another fixture on home turf next month against the Republic of Ireland at St. Andrew’s – home of Beadle’s current loan team Birmingham City – but for now, the focus is on England’s upcoming qualifiers.

“I’ve just got in the team at Birmingham now, so it’s come at a good time to get some more games,” noted Beadle. “Every qualifying game is important. You’ve got to try and win and perform well.”

“Obviously, to qualify for the EUROs is a big thing,” emphasised Gittens. “We’ve got to be dominant in the games. We’re trying to win games but also trying to make it clear to everyone that we’re here to win, not just to perform.”