Nottingham Forest currently have Elliot Anderson and Zach Abbott away on England youth duty.
Anderson will be in action tonight as England under-21s face Germany at the European Championships, whilst Abbott is currently with the under-19s version of the tournament.
Anderson has been praised by Gary Neville this season, and it’s been a breakthrough campaign for him since his £35 million move to Forest from Newcastle.
Forest academy graduate Abbott was handed his first two starts for the first team during 2024/25, with one of them coming against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
It’s Abbott who has caught the eye on the international stage too, with the Forest defender playing in a truly ridiculous game against Germany.
Germany v England: UEFA European Under-19 Championship 2025 Group B
Photo by Alexandra Fechete/MB Media/Getty Images
Abbott stars in England under-19 thriller vs Germany
England and Germany very rarely disappoint when it comes to football, and this game last night had it all.
The Young Lions looked like they were going to be humiliated by the Germans and trailed 4-1 at the break, with the score soon becoming 5-1 afterwards.
Will Antwi’s team are made of stern stuff, though, and with Abbott’s help, the youngsters rallied and managed to earn themselves a point!’
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The game finished 5-5 with Abbott scoring England’s fourth goal following a set piece to keep the team finely poised to reach the knockout stages.
The under-19s face the Netherlands on Friday, knowing that a win would definitely take them through to the knockout stages of the competition.
Ola Aina and Jota Silva react to Abbott’s performance
Abbott is clearly learning a lot from training with a Premier League football club every single day.
Not only is he playing regularly for the under-19s on the international stage but he’s also currently captaining the team at the tournament.
He’s clearly got a lot of admirers in the dressing room at Forest, and after his latest performance, Aina posted: “That’s my boy”, with Silva posting a number of flame emojis.
Abbott is definitely going to be one for the future, and the hope will be that Nuno Espirito Santo can keep the pathway clear between the academy and the senior ranks, even as Forest continue on their upward trajectory.