England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley has expressed his support for Liam Delap's choice to join Chelsea for the Club World Cup instead of participating in the European Under-21 Championship.
Delap, [who this week moved to Stamford Bridge from Ipswich](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/transfer-news/breaking-chelsea-confirm-first-summer-31773183), is poised to accompany the [Chelsea](https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/) team to the United States for the club competition commencing on June 14, which coincides with the start of the Euros. While Delap's absence could impact the Young Lions' attacking options during the tournament, Carsley shared his enthusiasm for Delap's career advancement to a "prestigious" club like Chelsea.
At a press conference at St George's Park, Carsley said: "I’m definitely not disappointed. I’m delighted for Liam and his family. It’s a brilliant thing for an English centre-forward to play in the Premier League at such a prestigious club like Chelsea.
“Hopefully, he’ll do really well there and push for the senior team. We’ll move on. We’ve moved on quite quickly. We’ve always known that two or three of the players could move to clubs that were playing in the Club World Cup.
“The Club World Cup hasn’t come out of the blue. We’ve been preparing for this competition for two years, knowing that the Club World Cup was always in the background. It’s not frustrating one bit. I definitely still see the importance of some of our players that will play in that competition. It’s a brilliant thing for them to do.”
Sunderland's young talent Jobe Bellingham has been named in Carsley's 23-man squad despite rumours of a potential switch to Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund – who are also set to compete in the Club World Cup. Dortmund have until June 10, when FIFA's special transfer window for the Club World Cup shuts, to finalise any deal. The standard transfer window commences on June 16, which could still see Bellingham change clubs even while on England duty.
Should England begin their campaign against Czech Republic on June 12, Carsley will be unable to bring in replacements, potentially leaving a vacancy in his team if Bellingham transfers. Carsley said: "Jobe is an important part of our squad and will be travelling with us.
"We just have to make sure that we're flexible, similar to what we've done with all of the players. We're here to support them, make sure we help them as much as we can."
Casrsey also confirmed James McAtee will captain the side for this summer’s tournament. The 22-year-old has started to break through into Manchester City’s first team and has also featured 18 times for the England Under-21s.
Carsley said: “James McAtee will captain the team. James is a very important player to the team, to the squad. He’s a player that’s done really well in the past, a player that I coached for a while. So enjoy working with him.”