Noni Madueke has been handed his maiden call-up for England’s Under 21s squad ahead of this month’s UEFA U21 Euros Group Stage.
Madueke’s graduation from England’s U18s squad comes after a strong season for PSV Eindhoven in which he netted eight goals in 24 appearances across all competitions.
This squad in total sees nine changes from the last squad in November 2020 as Brandon Austin drops out in the goalkeeper selection, with Cheltenham’s Josh Griffiths replacing him alongside the retained duo of Josef Bursik and Aaron Ramsdale.
In defence, Ben Godfrey returns alongside Japhet Tanganga and Steven Sessegnon as five players drop out due to mixture of injury and form, of which those five players include: James Justin, Lee Buchanan, Tariq Lamptey, Jonathan Panzo and Rhys Williams.
Ryan Sessegnon meanwhile drops from the attacking selection into defence to help plug the drop in defensive call-ups.
Ebere Eze, Conor Gallagher, Curtis Jones and Oliver Skipp are the only midfielders to retain their place as Tom Davies returns whilst Burnley’s Dwight McNeil drops from attack into midfield, as Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and Brentford’s Josh Dasilva miss out.
Up front, Aidy Boothroyd has retained the core forward selection from November as Callum Hudson-Odoi, Eddie Nketiah and Rhian Brewster all return, where they are joined by Madueke, Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe and Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood as Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala is snubbed.
Owing to UEFA Euro 2020 being rearranged for this summer, the U21 Euros has been split with the group stage taking place this month and knockout stages following from 31 May – 6 June 2021.
Boothroyd therefore feels ‘excited’ by this selection of young talent in terms of not just ability but ‘togetherness and team spirit’ too, as England aim to win this U21s competition for the first time in 37 years.
The ex Watford boss however knows that this a huge opportunity both on and off the pitch to benefit the whole squad, saying: “We want to win every time we play and will do all we can to reach the knockout stage – but this is also a crucial opportunity for providing valuable experience on and off the pitch that will help the players, their clubs and England in the future.”
England will kick off their Group D campaign against Switzerland on 25 March before facing Portugal then Croatia on 28 and 31 March respectively.
Here is England’s latest U21 squad in full.
Goalkeepers – Josef Bursik (Stoke City), Josh Griffiths (Cheltenham Town, loan from West Brom), Aaron Ramsdale (Sheffield United)
Defence – Max Aarons (Norwich), Ben Godfrey (Everton), Marc Guehi (Swansea City, loan from Chelsea), Lloyd Kelly (Bournemouth), Ryan Sessegnon (Hoffenheim, loan from Tottenham), Steven Sessegnon (Bristol City, loan from Fulham), Japhet Tanganga (Tottenham), Ben Wilmot (Watford)
Midfield – Tom Davies (Everton), Ebere Eze (Crystal Palace), Conor Gallagher (West Brom, loan from Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Dwight McNeil (Burnley), Oliver Skipp (Norwich, loan from Tottenham)
Attack – Rhian Brewster (Sheffield United), Mason Greenwood (Manchester United), Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea), Noni Madueke (PSV Eindhoven), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal)
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