Lee Carsley has demanded that his young lions have to perform for their club and country if they want to retain a place in the England set-up, as young talent try and progress towards the first team. Carsley lead England under 21s to European glory in the summer, winning the under 21s European Championships after a dramatic final against Spain.
The competition for places in the men’s squad is as competitive as it has ever been, but there is plenty of talent in the England under 21s that could make the step up in the upcoming years.
Here are five England under 21 players named in Carsley’s latest squad,to face Serbia and Ukraine, who have the potential to break into the men’s squad
Harvey Elliot
Embed from Getty ImagesHarvey Elliot’s young footballing career has seen him become one the brightest young prospects in English football. At the age of just 15, he made his men’s first team debut for Fulham in the Carabao Cup in 18/19. He then made his Premier League debut later on that season against Wolves. Liverpool signed Elliot for £1.5M, but he only made two league appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side in 19/20.
After an impressive loan spell with Blackburn, Elliot was made part of Klopp’s first team plans. Last season, Elliot made 32 Premier League appearances, scoring once and assisting twice. The midfielder is now a mainstay in Klopp’s midfield.
Elliot has worked his way up the England youth groups. Starting in the under 15s, he featured for the under 16s and under 17s before making the step up to the under 21s, making his debut in 2022. He is now one of the most established players in Carsley’s squad and has the capability to knock on the door of the men’s squad. His experience of winning trophies with club and country alongside his talented footballing abilities makes one of the favourites to eventually make it into Gareth Southgate’s squad.
Cole Palmer
Embed from Getty ImagesCole Palmer burst onto the scene with Manchester City and made an eyebrow raising summer move to Chelsea for a staggering £50M. The 21 year-old has started well at Chelsea, gaining plenty of minutes under Mauricio Pochettino.
Palmer has rose through the England youth ranks, making appearances for every age group ranging from the under 15s to the under 18s. In September 2021 he made his England under 21 debut and has since made 14 appearances scoring five goals. He was the hero for England in the under 21 Euros final, scoring the winning goal as the young lions sealed the trophy in the summer.
With the amount of game time he is getting a Chelsea, it it just a matter of time before he appears on Southgate’s radar. However, the competition for places in the attacking areas is heavily congested. Palmer has the capability of breaking in, but replacing Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham will take some doing.
James Trafford
Embed from Getty ImagesEngland’s first choice goalkeepers may benefit from a fresh face challenging them. Jordan Pickford has been a mainstay for Southgate, with Aaron Ramsdale serving as back up. Sam Johnstone is the third choice in October’s first team squad, but James Trafford may feel he is close to a call-up.
Trafford was hailed as a hero in England under 21’s European Championship final. The Burnley keeper made an astonishing penalty save in the dying moments, and saved the rebound too which all but clinched victory.
His impressive loan spell at Bolton last season caught the eye of Vincent Kompany who signed him in the summer from his parent club Manchester City. The fee was £19M which for a 20 year-old keeper was a statement of intent.
Trafford is now a first team regular in the Premier League with Burnley and will be keen to impress Southgate ahead of the Euros in the summer. For now, he is first choice for Carsley’s under 21s, with 12 appearances already under his belt.
Rico Lewis
Embed from Getty ImagesRico Lewis is only 18 years-old, yet has the trust of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola as the left-back has featured heavily for last season’s treble winners. Gareth Southgate named his squad for the upcoming international break yet it did not include a single left back due to injuries in that position. Although he is naturally a right-back, Lewis, who was called up to the under 21s may have felt he had done enough to fill the left-back void for Southgate. Lewis is a versatile player and has filled in at left-back and midfield for Manchester City.
Lewis’ young career has been remarkable, making 17 Premier League appearances and playing four Champions League games too, scoring and assisting once. There has been a lot of responsibility placed on his young shoulders, but so far he has stood up to the task.
Charlie Patino
Embed from Getty ImagesCharlie Patino has only one appearance for the England under 21s, however he is making a name for himself in the Championship with Swansea. He has one goal and three assists in eight appearances for Micheal Duff’s side at the age of just 19. Patino is on loan from Arsenal, and has made five appearances for the Gunners, all coming in cup competitions.
After a loan spell with Blackpool last season that ended in a disappointing relegation, Patino is making good progress at Swansea. He is certainly one for the future when it comes to the England men’s squad but if he impresses Mikel Arteta, a route into Arsenal’s first team squad could be the catalyst for Patino to knock on the England door.
That England MU21 squad in full:
Goalkeepers: James Beadle (Oxford United, loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Matthew Cox (Bristol Rovers, loan from Brentford), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Charlie Cresswell (Leeds United), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton, loan from Manchester City), Bashir Humphreys (Swansea City, loan from Chelsea), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Brooke Norton-Cuffy (Millwall, loan from Arsenal), Jarrell Quansah (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), James McAtee (Sheffield United, loan from Manchester City), Charlie Patino (Swansea City, loan from Arsenal), Aaron Ramsey (Burnley)
Forwards: Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (Borussia Dortmund), Liam Delap (Hull City, loan from Manchester City), Sam Iling-Junior (Juventus), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Jaden Philogene (Hull City), Jonathan Rowe (Norwich City)
