West Country boy Alleyne previews Bristol trip
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Born in Bristol, Max Alleyne is looking forward to the prospect of representing England MU21s in front of his friends and family
ORDER: MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
The Young Lions take on fellow finalists Portugal and France at the home of Bristol City on Friday 13 November and Monday 16 November respectively.
Both games kick-off at 7.30pm GMT and will be streamed live and exclusively on the England app.
And for England and on-loan Burnley defender Max Alleyne, the games represent the chance for him to run out in his hometown.
You can read the full interview with Max in the official match programme for both games. Order a copy here.
It is always an honour to play for England and to see all the lads and what they have been up to at their clubs, whether that's the Premier League, the Championship or abroad. But I don't think I have ever played a professional game in Bristol – it's going to be really special to have my family there, and the people I love and care about.
Qualification wasn't straightforward. How did you find it?
It's tricky, because you don't get much time together and you are not in your club environment anymore. It's a different way of playing and a different expectation when you play for England against smaller nations. We had some really awkward games. I thought we showed good grit and toughness in matches and we got the results we needed.
Which game sticks in the memory?
It's probably the one against Andorra. It was freezing, on an artificial pitch, and we went 1-0 down against a low block. I think we drew 1-1. Just getting through that as a team and managing to turn it into a result is the sign of a good team.
The first camp was memorable, too. We played Kazakhstan and it was my first call-up at MU21 level. I wasn't involved in the game, but watching it was something different. There were fireworks outside the hotel, the atmosphere was amazing – you can tell the country just loves football. Moldova – where I made my debut – Kazakhstan, they're a long way away, but I think those trips helped us grow as a group.
How do you feel about next summer and the prospect of making it a hat-trick of European Championship wins?
Lee has made sure everyone knows that only one team has done it before (Italy from 1992 to 1996). Some of the lads have won the last one, or been there for all three, but this would be my first tournament, hopefully. I can't wait, but for me it's game by game. These two matches first, then build up to that.
France and Portugal couldn't represent a tougher end to the year?
You're right, you couldn't wish for tougher. But I think that's what we need as players, to prove ourselves against top-quality opposition.
Your dad [Mark Alleyne] was a cricketer, were you ever tempted to follow him into it?
No, it never really interested me. My parents let me and my siblings make our own decisions. My brother plays football and my sister used to play netball. I don't speak to dad too much about the technical side of things, but we'll talk about the habits of an athlete, which is super helpful. Most of the time, though, we just chat about sport generally. I'm interested in his experiences, and when you have a long enough conversation there are bits you take away. And my mum is involved in nutrition, so speaking to both of them I can really help myself.
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