England MU21s squad named for Kazakhstan trip

Lee Carsley has named his England men’s under-21s squad to kick-off the new UEFA U21 EURO qualifying campaign with a trip to play Kazakhstan.

The Young Lions start the new season on the back of lifting a second successive EURO title earlier this summer, and there’s no shortage of experience in the 23-man squad picked by Carsley.

James Beadle, Tommy Simkin, Brooke Norton Cuffy, Archie Gray, Jack Hinshelwood and Ethan Nwaneri were all part of Carsley’s squad from the tournament in Slovakia in June, while Jobe Bellingham was also selected before being withdrawn due to his transfer to Borussia Dortmund and involvement in the subsequent Club World Cup. They can all feature again this term, with players born on or after 1 January 2004 eligible to feature in the 2027 edition.

They’re joined by Rico Lewis and Lewis Miley who have also been previously capped at MU21 level, while the remainder of the squad have all represented England through the development pathway in recent years, before stepping into the MU21s this season.

England begin the group stage with their longest trip, as they head to Aktobe for their opener against Kazakhstan on Monday 8 September (4pm BST kick-off) at the Ortalyk Stadion.

It’s the same venue that the MU21s played at on their last trip to Kazakhstan back in October 2016, when a Demarai Gray goal sealed a 1-0 win to seal qualification for the U21 EURO Finals of 2017. 

There’s also a new face in Carsley’s coaching team for the new campaign as former Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest coach Steven Reid will join the backroom staff as a player mentor, a similar role to that carried out by Joleon Lescott and Adam Lallana in recent years.

The Squad

Goalkeepers: James Beadle (Birmingham City, loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Tommy Simkin (Leyton Orient, loan from Stoke City), Matthew Young (Salford City, loan from Sunderland)

Defenders: Josh Acheampong (Chelsea), Max Alleyne (Watford, loan from Manchester City), Kellen Fisher (Norwich City), Brooke Norton Cuffy (Genoa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Ben Nelson (Leicester City), Ashley Phillips (Stoke City, loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Thierry Small (Preston North End)

Midfielders: Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur), Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton and Hove Albion), Lewis Miley (Newcastle United), Nico O'Reilly (Manchester City)

Forwards: Tyler Dibling (Everton), Romain Esse (Crystal Palace), Tyrique George (Chelsea), Jamie Gittens (Chelsea), Will Lankshear (Oxford United, loan from Tottenham Hotspur), Divin Mubama (Stoke City, loan from Manchester City), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)