It has been quite a time for Tino Livramento since the summer of 2023.

At the start of last season, the former Chelsea full-back was preparing for life in the Championship with Southampton. By the time summer had turned to autumn, he was playing in the Champions League for Newcastle United.

And now, just over a year since his final match for Saints, he has been involved in September and October senior England camps under interim head coach Lee Carsley.

In many ways, it seems like Livramento’s rise has been a rapid one. In reality, though, the 21-year-old defender has been in it for the long haul since he was selected for his first England age-group camp as a 15-year-old back in 2016. 

“The pathway is amazing,” he says. “When you first get picked you’re meeting so many players from so many different areas of England. Obviously when you’re at a club in the south and you’re only 14 or 15, you don’t really play a lot of the northern teams so you don’t know too many of their players.

“All of sudden you’re seeing these players who are absolutely unbelievable! It seems crazy to think about that now. I was so young at the time that my parents would be the ones who would be told I was in the squad – my mum and dad would always know before me. You would know when the call would be coming so you’d be waiting nervously for that conversation.

“I’ve got so many happy memories from that time. The first time you put on an England shirt is just crazy. Even though you’re under-16, the feeling is just incredible. Coming through every age group and making an appearance for every one is something that I’m really proud of. There probably aren’t too many players who have done it, so it’s very special. The people you meet and the coaches you have all the way through, they’re the memories that really stay with you.” 

England have been blessed with some exceptional full-backs in recent years, and Livramento is the latest in a long line of extraordinarily talented defenders, many of whom are as comfortable going forward as they are carrying out their defensive duties. 

For his part, the Croydon-born left-back has always maintained his passion for the role, having naturally gravitated towards the position as a youngster at Chelsea.    

“I was always a full-back,” he says. “I suppose when you’re younger, you pretty much play anywhere, but since I started 11-a-side, I’ve played there.

“I’ve always had that defensive instinct. When I was a kid, I would love tackling someone and then passing it. I wasn’t really that bothered about going forward too much. Even now, I still enjoy the defensive side of being a full-back, even though I get forward a lot more.

“In the Premier League, you’re coming up against quality players week after week. That defensive work was one of the areas that Eddie [Howe] and Jason [Tindall] wanted me to work on when I first went to Newcastle. If I can keep improving and keep taking on board what they’re telling me then I think that’s definitely going to help me as a player. 

“I would do athletics at primary school, and I’ve always been quite quick – my mum still probably has all my medals from sports day. I moved house the other day and she asked me if I wanted them. I told her she could keep them at home!”  

Academy football can be an unforgiving environment, with so many young footballers failing to make the leap from youth football to the senior team. Livramento, though, was always a player who seemed destined for the top, even if he had to leave Chelsea to achieve his dream.

“The goal was always to be playing in the Premier League as early as possible,” he says. “I left Chelsea and got that experience straight away at Southampton. I had some tough times with injuries but the club and the fans were great to me. 

“Now I’m at a place I absolutely love – the atmosphere, the supporters, the manager, it feels like I’m in a great place at Newcastle. I’m in the best place I could be to learn and develop as a footballer.”