Albion stars Jack Hinshelwood and James Beadle will hope to be action for England under-21s
Two Brighton players could feature for Lee Carsely's England under-21 team during their European Championship opener against Czech Republic today.
Albion midfielder Jack Hinshelwood and goalkeeper James Beadle were called up as the Young Lions face tough tests early on with Germany and Slovenia also making up Group B as they prepare to defend their Euros crown.
Coach Carsley – who signed a new contract until 2027 earlier this month – will be without the likes of Liam Delap and Jobe Bellingham this summer, with the pair joining Club World Cup participants Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund respectively.
Jack Hinshelwood of Brighton & Hove Albion will hope to be in action for England under-21s tonightplaceholder image
Jack Hinshelwood of Brighton & Hove Albion will hope to be in action for England under-21s tonight
Manchester City’s James McAtee, who opted to represent his nation over his club in the United States, will captain the under-21s.
When is England's first match?
England's Uefa under-21 Group B opener is tonight (Thursday) against the Czech Republic at the MOL Arena, Slovakia. Kick-off is at 8pm. They tackle Slovenia three days later on Sunday 15 June (5pm).
Their final group game against Germany takes place on Wednesday 18 June (8pp) at the Stadion Pod Zoborom, before the competition heads into the knockout phase with the top two teams from both groups progressing to the quarter-finals.
The final of the under-21 European Championships – should England make it that far – takes place on Saturday, June 28.
Will England vs Czech Republic be on TV?
Yes, England's first fixture will be broadcast live free to air on Channel 4. Coverage starts at 7.30pm.
“It’s a case of being able to adapt. I expect at times against a really strong Czech team that it may look a little bit unorganised, it may look a little bit clunky.
“I’ve made that known to the players as well that they shouldn’t expect too much too soon. I think the longer we can stay in the tournament, the more these players can play together.
“The main thing is that I adapt and put the tactics around the players’ attributes, not how I see it, but what they can do and what they’re good at,” he added on his team selection.
“It’s a challenge because we were talking about it in the car on the way here. We’ve got a lot of really good players.
“If you could choose 16 starters, that would be a lot easier. We’ve already spoken to the players about it and going from past experience, I’m not sure anyone, if we were to get to the final, would play 690 minutes.”
The full squad
Goalkeepers: James Beadle (Brighton and Hove Albion), Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea), Tommy Simkin (Stoke City)
Defenders: Charlie Cresswell (FC Toulouse), Ronnie Edwards (Southampton), CJ Egan-Riley (Burnley), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Brooke Norton Cuffy (Genoa), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland), Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton and Hove Albion), Tyler Morton (Liverpool), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth).
Forwards: Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town), Sam Iling Jnr (Aston Villa), James McAtee (Manchester City), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), Jonathan Rowe (Marseille), Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City).
Continue Reading