James McAtee
James McAtee will captain England Under-21s
Not every peer has made the same call as James McAtee this summer. When the Manchester City attacker leads out England Under-21s tonight in their European Championship opener, his side will be without Jobe Bellingham and Liam Delap, who have opted to skip the international tournament for the Club World Cup.
Delap will make his Chelsea debut in the United States, and Bellingham is with his new Borussia Dortmund teammates. They have opted for the glamour on show in FIFA's new baby, but McAtee is taking a more low-key approach to his summer.
Although maybe representing your country, even at Under-21 level, shouldn't really be considered low-key. McAtee captains a group looking to defend the title England won in Georgia two years ago. A flick through that team shows that this tournament can certainly act as a springboard.
James Trafford, Levi Colwill, Curtis Jones, Anthony Gordon, Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Cole Palmer all started that final. Noni Madueke and Harvey Elliott came off the bench.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis was the captain then, and McAtee will hope that is a City-shaped omen. The 22-year-old's decision to stick with Lee Carsley's side rather than chasing club glory on the other side of the Atlantic is rooted in common sense.
“It was a chance for me to go and play,” he said on the eve of the group opener against the Czech Republic.
“I’ve been happy with my minutes that I’ve got this year, but I think here I can play more of a part than I would have at the Club World Cup.
“It’s more of an experience, and this is my first international tournament, so it’ll be good to get out there.”
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Club World Cup on DAZN
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The FIFA Club World Cup will see 32 of the world's best club teams including Man City, Chelsea, Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich play across 63 games from June 14-July 13.
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It is pretty obvious McAtee will play more for England Under-21s than he would for City this summer. His future looks to lie away from the Etihad, and he endured moments of frustration last year.
The Salford-born academy graduate started just three Premier League games and spent 20 of the 38 matches sitting on the bench without getting on. He knows it is time to move on.
A potential switch to Bayer Leverkusen has gone cold for now, and Everton have been credited with Premier League interest. Maybe the Club World Cup will win the battle for eyeballs over the next few weeks, but you can guarantee the scouts and recruitment experts will be watching the tournament in Slovakia.
As England's most experienced attacking outlet and captain, McAtee will shoulder plenty of responsibility. If he can perform, he might well open up a few more options for himself this summer. That could benefit both the player and City, who will hope to bank around £25million from any sale.