GOAL runs through the youngsters that could force their way into Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad over the next year…
It is fair to say that the first senior England squad, post-World Cup, was a rather underwhelming one.
Having selected only one uncapped player, the Brentford striker Ivan Toney, manager Gareth Southgate has opted to persist with those who briefly threatened glory in Qatar, only to fall in pretty familiar fashion at the quarter-final stage.
That means the likes of Jordan Henderson, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Harry Maguire, all aged 30 or above, will begin the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, with 29-year-old Harry Kane again charged with leading Southgate’s side.
Of course, there is rich potential in players such as Bukayo Saka, the star of Arsenal’s Premier League title charge, Phil Foden, Reece James, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, but perhaps just as interesting, from a long-term perspective at least, is the strength of England’s U21 squad during this latest international break.
Lee Carsley's side take on France – including the likes of Benoit Badiashile, Michael Olise and Pierre Kalulu – at Leicester's King Power Stadium on Saturday, before facing Croatia at Fulham's Craven Cottage on Tuesday.
Here, GOAL takes a look at some of the youngsters who will be looking to catch the eye, with a view to making the step up before the next European Championship…
GettyFolarin Balogun
The breakout star of Ligue 1 this season, Balogun has hit the headlines recently as doubts over his international future heat up.
The USMNT would love to land the 21-year-old, who was born in New York but who has made 13 appearances for England’s U21 team. Little wonder, given Balogun has scored 18 times in 29 games for Reims this season.
It is expected that he will return to parent club Arsenal this summer, though with the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah all competing for striking places, Balogun may find regular football hard to come by at the Emirates.
If he were to leave then, just as at international level, he would have no shortage of suitors.
AdvertisementBrighton & Hove Albion FCLevi Colwill
England have not, it must be said, been blessed by the presence of many top-level centre-backs in recent years. The presence of Maguire, who has started only five league games this season, and Dier, whose form for Tottenham has been scratchy at best, serves only to underline that fact.
Colwill, though, looks like a player who could soon be helping solve that particular problem. Having shone in the Championship with Huddersfield last season, the Chelsea man has performed superbly on loan with Brighton this term, his calmness in possession matched by his sharp defensive instincts.
Colwill is expected to return to Chelsea this summer to fight for a first-team place at Stamford Bridge, and one imagines it won’t be long before the 20-year-old is knocking, metaphorically at least, on Southgate’s door too.
GettyHarvey Elliott
In a season of struggle, only one Liverpool player has featured in all 40 of the Reds’ competitive games – and he’s only 19 years of age.
Elliott, quietly, is building himself quite a career. He has already made more than 100 senior appearances, and would have had plenty more were it not for a serious ankle injury last season.
He, like just about every Liverpool player, has suffered at times this season, and there are legitimate questions as to whether he will eventually turn out be a left-footed, right-sided attacking midfielder or, as he has often been used by Jurgen Klopp this term, a No.8 in a three-man midfield.
Either way, though, he should have a chance of a senior international career.
GettyRico Lewis
It has been something of a transitional season at Manchester City, but in 18-year-old Lewis, the Premier League champions look to have unearthed another home-polished diamond.
The Bury-born teenager has taken to senior football like a duck to water, making 18 appearances and standing out a mile with his tactical and technical qualities. Though a right-back by trade, his ability to step into midfield and help City dictate games means he should become a key player in the coming years.
England, in fairness, are pretty well stocked in terms of full-backs at present, but Lewis’ talent will be hard for Southgate and his coaches to overlook for too long.