Meet the England MU21s squad who won the U21 EURO title

(Originally published on June 20 2023)

The England MU21 squad who won this summer’s UEFA Under-21 European Championship final is full of recognisable names but just how well do you know the players?

From the likes of England senior capped Emile Smith Rowe to treble-winner Cole Palmer of Manchester City, not to mention a host of other Premier League regulars, the Young Lions squad is full of quality and names you will have seen on Match of the Day.

And we sat down with MU21s and Leeds United defender Charlie Cresswell before the tournament started to learn even more about the players who have competed at this summer’s tournament in Georgia and Romania.

Josh Griffiths 

Josh is very mature, with a good head on his shoulders. He is big, powerful, strong, and commanding – it’s good to have him in the group.

Carl Rushworth

Carl is great with his feet. I played with him the other day and he was top. He is a lovely guy and is also from Halifax which is not far from me.

James Trafford

Hey Traff, they are asking me about you! [Shouting over to him]. Traff has massive arms and hands. He is a great keeper and an equally great guy.

Max Aarons

Max is another great player. He's played lots of games and is very experienced. He brings that experience to the group and he's a funny guy as well.

Jarrad Branthwaite

This is Jarrad's first camp with us (after injury ruled him out after March’s call-up). He's a really nice guy and a really good player. I've known him since I was younger as we were in the MU19s together. A big, commanding and strong centre half.

Levi Colwill

Baller. Very big and athletic. He's got everything you want in a centre half. It was great to see him called up to the senior team last week. It gives us all hope for the future. He is a baller.

Charlie Cresswell

Slabhead.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis

Taylor's the joker of the group. He brings the energy every day and he's great to have around. Such a loud voice and a great player as well.

Ben Johnson

Ben is an experienced player and is a great guy. He’s a really nice bloke, such a lovely guy.

Luke Thomas

Luke is another good guy and he's got a great left foot on him.

Tommy Doyle

Tommy's a bit of a joker as well. He's got that quick-wittedness about him, so he knows what to say when the time comes. He's a great guy and a great player as well. A set-piece specialist.

Harvey Elliott

Harvey's quiet to be fair, but he's so techie on the pitch. I think his ability shows for itself. But yeah, he's a real good talent.

James Garner

Jimmy is a versatile player with a great attitude. He's a great player to have in the squad and is a good guy, like everyone else here.

Angel Gomes

Angel might be tiny but in the box, he's a joke. On the pitch, he's so hard to get near because of his small size and with me being 6ft 3, it’s hard for me to chase him around. He's a great player.

Curtis Jones

Curtis is so gifted technically and we're hoping he can provide that little bit of extra we need in the EUROs.

Jacob Ramsey

JJ is a funny guy. He's played a lot of games in the Prem now and he's got that experience. I’m sure he'll be looking to take this tournament by storm.

Oliver Skipp

Skippy is a good guy, again, and a really good player. He plays like he's 30 and is a mature person. He brings the maturity you need in a team that is full of young talent. Having an older and mature player with a good head on his shoulders really helps bring out the best in others.

Cameron Archer

Cameron is deadly. His finishing is really good, he's sharp, and he knows where the goal is, as you can tell by his stats this season.

Morgan Gibbs-White

Morgan is unbelievable technically. In training, you can see his ability and I'm sure he's another one that will be looking to really make his mark in this tournament.

Anthony Gordon

Anthony is electric. He is the quickest thing I've ever seen. He's so sharp and he's got a great attitude.

Noni Madueke

Noni is another very sharp player. He's got that gift where he can just glide past players. I'm sure he, and the other sharp players, will be looking to light up the tournament.

Cole Palmer

Cole's funny. He's just a normal lad but has obviously just come back from winning the treble. He's one of the best players I've seen at this camp, the way he stops and goes again on the ball. It will be interesting to see how he does in this tournament.

Emile Smith Rowe

Emile is another really experienced player and he's another person who is a great guy off the pitch.