‘I feel like this England Under-21 squad is a special group’

England men’s under-21s kick off their UEFA Under-21 Championship campaign on Thursday night against the Czech Republic so we sat down with two of the side’s exciting youngsters to preview the tournament.

Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Lille regular Angel Gomes are just two of the talented youngsters included in Lee Carsley’s 23-player squad and travel to the U-21 EURO on the back of impressive seasons where they started the majority of their club sides’ games.

The pair will be competing for starting spots alongside the likes of big-money signings Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke, treble-winner Cole Palmer, senior international Emile Smith Rowe, striker Cameron Archer, who averaged more than a goal-a-game in the Championship on loan at Middlesbrough this season, and a host of other Premier League regulars.

England MU21s’ strength in depth is impressive but the Young Lions explained the squad is much more than just a group of talented individuals.

Question: How much are you looking forward to the tournament?

Gibbs-White: "We're really looking forward to it. It's been a long time coming as we've been working for a year and a half now to get to this point.

“We're all more than ready and we just can't wait to get going now. We have full belief going into the tournament as well, which is a good thing."

Question: How do you assess the team's chances going into the tournament?

Gomes: "We know we've got a big squad, full of great players. That's always good going into a tournament.

“Everyone's raring to go. The main thing now is getting there and imposing ourselves and showing everyone what we can do as a squad.

Question: This squad, in particular, seems to be full of players that have either Premier League experience or in some cases, they've been in squads for European finals in recent weeks. Does it feel like you guys have a particularly strong squad going into this tournament?

Gibbs-White: "If you look at every age group in the England setup, every age group is strong. 

“When you look back at the previous Under-21 tournaments, you'd look on paper and think that squad could go all the way and for whatever reasons unfortunately they didn’t.

“But I feel like this group is a special group. We've got very good individuals but mainly this past year and a half we've been working to build that togetherness in the team. 

“We're really going to go there as a team and fight as a team, so fingers crossed everything goes well for us. We’re really looking forward to getting out there and getting the tournament started.”

Question: You look at recent times and both Emile Smith Rowe and Levi Colwill have stepped up to the seniors and are back with the Under-21s now, and there have been other players making the step up to the Gareth Southgate's squad. How much motivation does it give you guys knowing there is a clear pathway up to the seniors if you are performing for the Under-21s and your club?

Gomes: "In the squad, there's a lot of talent, a lot of players playing at the club, but it's not just playing, it's being important members of the squad. 

“There are a lot of players in the squad that are knocking on the door and being seen in the hope of going up to the seniors. 

“It's important for us going into the tournament but also for the future in seeing there is a pathway to the senior team. 

“It's just a case of keep doing what you're doing at your club and here as well. 

“I always keep in mind that people are watching you and there are a lot of players that are knocking on the door [for the seniors] and I think it's great for all of us."

You can watch England MU21s versus the Czech Republic in their UEFA Under-21 Championship opener at 5pm BST on Thursday evening live on UEFA.com.

And get to know the England men’s under-21 players better with Charlie Cresswell as the defender provides insight into each member of the squad here.