England national under-21 football team

England Under-21

Nickname(s)	The Young Lions
Association	The Football Association
Head coach	Gareth Southgate[1]
Most caps	James Milner (46)
Top scorer	Alan Shearer & Francis Jeffers (13)
First colours Second colours
First international
England U-21 0–0 Wales U-21 (Molineux, Wolverhampton; 15 December 1976)
Biggest win
England U-21 9–0 San Marino U-21 (New Meadow, Shrewsbury; 19 November 2013)
Biggest defeat
Romania U-21 4–0 England U-21 (Ploieşti, Romania; 14 October 1980) & England U-21 0–4 Spain U-21 (St Andrews, Birmingham; 27 February 2001) & Germany U-21 4–0 England U-21 (Malmö New Stadium, Malmö; 29 June 2009)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances	13 (First in 1978)
Best result	Winners 1982, 1984

England's national Under-21 football team, also known as England Under-21s or England U21(s), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team.

This team is for English players aged under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-year European Under-21 Football Championship campaign begins, so some players can remain with the squad until the age of 23. As long as they are eligible, players can play for England at any level, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side, and again for the U21s, as Jack Butland, Harry Kane and John Stones have done recently. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (providing the player is eligible).

The U-21 team came into existence, following the realignment of UEFA's youth competitions, in 1976. A goalless draw in a friendly against Wales at Wolves' Molineux Stadium was England U21s' first result.

England U21s do not have a permanent home. They play in stadia dotted all around England, in an attempt to encourage younger fans in all areas of the country to get behind England. Because of the lower demand compared to the senior national team, smaller grounds can be used. The record attendance for an England U21 match was set on 24 March 2007, when England U21 played Italy U21 in front of a crowd of just under 60,000 at the brand new Wembley Stadium, also a world record attendance for a U21 game.^[2] The match was one of the required two "ramp up" events the stadium hosted in order to gain its safety certificate in time for its full-capacity opening for the 2007 FA Cup Final in May.^[3][4]

Coaching staff

Head coach

Tenure	Head Coach/Manager
1977–1990	Dave Sexton
1990–1993	Lawrie McMenemy
1994–1996	Dave Sexton
1996–1999	Peter Taylor
1999	Peter Reid
1999–2001	Howard Wilkinson
2001–2004	David Platt
2004–2007	Peter Taylor
2007–2013	Stuart Pearce
2013–	Gareth Southgate

The original and most successful coach is Dave Sexton, who led the U21s from 1977 to 1990. In this period he combined his duties with managing the top-flight clubs Manchester United (1977–1981) and Coventry City (1981–1983). After Coventry he took a position within the FA as their first Technical Director, at Lilleshall. He handed over U21 responsibilities to England manager Graham Taylor's assistant Lawrie McMenemy for three years before resuming control from 1994 to 1996.

Peter Taylor took over in 1996 and, although never winning the tournament, his teams had an excellent record. He was controversially removed from the position in early 1999, however, and replaced initially by Peter Reid, who resigned after just one match in charge to dedicate more time to his other job as manager of Sunderland. Howard Wilkinson took over afterwards, yet could only produce four wins in ten competitive matches and quit after a year and a half in charge. David Platt took charge upon his departure from Nottingham Forest. Platt was U21 boss from 2001 to 2004, but had little success before Taylor's return. Taylor left in January 2007, as the senior national manager Steve McClaren wanted the U21s to have a full-time manager. Taylor, at the time, was combining his duties with his role as Crystal Palace boss.

On 1 February 2007, Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce was appointed as head coach on a part-time basis until after the European Championships in the summer of 2007. Nigel Pearson, Newcastle United's assistant manager, agreed to become Pearce's assistant. Their first match in charge was a 2–2 draw against Spain on 6 February 2007 at Derby County's Pride Park Stadium. For the match against Italy Nigel Pearson took charge as Stuart Pearce had club commitments. Steve Wigley assisted Pearson.

Pearce was dismissed as Manchester City manager on 14 May 2007, before the 2007 European Championships, but on 19 July 2007 he was named full-time U21s coach.^[5] He remained in the post until June 2013, when it was announced that his contract would not be renewed.^[6] On 31 July, the FA announced that England senior manager Roy Hodgson would take charge of an England U21 friendly match against Scotland at Bramall Lane,^[7] the match ended in a 6–0 win for Hodgson's side.^[8] Former England international Gareth Southgate was made manager of the under-21 team on 22 August.^[9]

Other staff

Coaches	Steve Holland[10]
	Brian Eastick
Goalkeeping Coach	Martin Thomas[11]
Physiotherapists	Dave Galley[12]
	Derek Wright[12]
Doctor	Dr. Richard Higgins[13]
Masseur	Stewart Welsh
Exercise Scientist	Craig Boyd
Performance Analyst	Keith Mincher
Video Analyst	Mike Baker
Kit Manager	Neil Jones

Competition History

As a European U21 team, England compete for the European Championship, with the finals every odd-numbered year, formerly even-numbered years. There is no Under-21 World Cup, although there is an Under-20 World Cup. For the first six (1978–1988) European Under-21 Football Championships, England did well, getting knocked out in the semi-finals on four occasions and winning the competition in 1982 and 1984. Then, as one might expect with a rapid turnover of players, followed a lean period.

After losing to France in the 1988 semi final, England then failed to qualify for the last eight for five whole campaigns. In the qualifying stages for the 1998 tournament, England won their group, but fate was not on their side. Because there were nine groups, and only eight places, the two group-winning nations with worst records had to play-off to eliminate one of them. England lost the away leg of this extra qualifying round and were eliminated on away goals to Greece. In effect, England finished ninth in the competition despite losing only one of their ten matches.

England qualified for the 2000 finals comfortably. Under the 1996-appointed Peter Taylor England won every match without conceding a goal. But with 3 matches to play, Taylor was replaced in a controversial manner by Howard Wilkinson, who won the next two matches. The three goals conceded in the 3–1 defeat to group runners-up Poland were the only blemish on the team's qualifying record. England got knocked out in the group stage of the European Championship finals in 2000 under Wilkinson.

After enlisting former international star David Platt as manager, England qualified for the 2002 tournament in Switzerland. Again England did poorly in the group stage. Platt's England failed to qualify for the 2004 tournament and he was replaced by the returning Peter Taylor. Taylor's England qualified from the group but lost to a strong France team in a two-legged playoff and failed to qualify for the 2006 tournament.

The next campaign started shortly after the 2006 finals – the qualification stage of the 2007 competition. UEFA decided to shift the tournament forward to avoid a clash with senior tournaments taking place in even-numbered years. The qualification stage was heavily reduced, being completed in a year's less time. In a 3-team qualification group, England qualified over Switzerland and Moldova, and then won a two-legged play-off with Germany to qualify for the finals to be held in the Netherlands. At the tournament, England progressed through to the semi-finals where they led for the majority of the match against the hosts. However, after a late equaliser and a marathon penalty shootout, England were eliminated.

In 2009, England finished as runners-up, losing 4–0 to Germany in the final.

England finished second in their qualifying group for the 2011 championships in Denmark. They subsequently defeated Romania in the play-offs to qualify for the finals tournament, where they were knocked out in the group stage after a 2-1 defeat to the Czech Republic. England also subsequently exited the 2013 and 2015 Finals tournaments at the group stage.

Year	Progress
1978	Semi Final
1980	Semi Final
1982	Champions
1984	Champions
1986	Semi Final
1988	Semi Final
1990	Failed to qualify
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000	Group Stage
2002	Group Stage
2004	Failed to qualify
2006
2007	Semi Final
2009	Final
2011	Group Stage
2013	Group Stage
2015	Group Stage

Note: The year of the tournament represents the year in which it ends.

Results and fixtures

2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship

Qualification

Group stage

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	England	5	3	2	0	8	2	+6	11	Final tournament		—	3–1	6 Sep	3–0	11 Oct
2	Switzerland	5	2	2	1	7	6	+1	8	Possible Play-offs		1–1	—	1–1	2 Sep	3–1
3	Norway	4	2	1	1	5	3	+2	7			0–1	7 Oct	—	2–1	2–0
4	Kazakhstan	5	1	1	3	3	7	−4	4			6 Oct	0–1	11 Oct	—	0–0
5	Bosnia and Herzegovina	5	0	2	3	2	7	−5	2			0–0	6 Sep	2 Sep	1–2	—

Updated to match(es) played on 26 March 2016. Source: UEFA

Other fixtures

Friendly matches

England  v  United States

3 September 2015	England	1 – 0	United States	Deepdale, Preston, England
19:45 UTC+01:00	James Wilson  72'	Report

Records

Leading appearances

Rank	Player	Club(s)	U-21 Caps
1	James Milner	Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa	46
2	Tom Huddlestone	Derby County, Tottenham Hotspur	33
	Fabrice Muamba	Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers	33
4	Michael Mancienne	Chelsea, Hamburg	30
5	Scott Carson	Leeds United, Liverpool	29
	Steven Taylor	Newcastle United	29
	Danny Rose	Tottenham Hotspur	29
8	Jack Butland	Birmingham City, Stoke City	28
9	Jamie Carragher	Liverpool	27
	Gareth Barry	Aston Villa	27
	Jordan Henderson	Sunderland, Liverpool	27

Note: Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s. Those players in bold are still eligible to play for the team at the moment.

Leading goalscorers

Rank	Player	Club(s)	U-21 Goals
1	Alan Shearer	Southampton	13
	Francis Jeffers	Everton, Arsenal	13
3	Saido Berahino	West Bromwich Albion	10
4	Darren Bent	Ipswich Town, Charlton Athletic	9
	Frank Lampard	West Ham United	9
	James Milner	Leeds United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa	9
7	Harry Kane	Tottenham Hotspur	8
	Mark Hateley	Coventry City, Portsmouth	8
	Carl Cort	Wimbledon	8
10	Mark Robins	Manchester United	7
	Shola Ameobi	Newcastle United	7
	Jermain Defoe	West Ham United	7
	Nathan Redmond	Birmingham City, Norwich City	7

Note: Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s. Those players in bold are still eligible to play for the team at the moment.

Current squad

Players born on or after 1 January 1994 are eligible until the end of the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Names in italics denote players who have been capped for the senior team.

The following players were named in the squad for the match against Switzerland in March 2016.^[14]

0#0	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	GK	Jordan Pickford	7 March 1994	6	0	Sunderland
13	GK	Joe Wildsmith	28 December 1995	0	0	Sheffield Wednesday
	GK	Christian Walton	9 November 1995	0	0	Brighton & Hove Albion
2	DF	Dominic Iorfa	24 June 1995	5	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers
3	DF	Matt Targett	8 September 1995	7	0	Southampton
5	DF	Calum Chambers	20 January 1995	9	0	Arsenal
6	DF	Kortney Hause	16 July 1995	2	0	Wolverhampton Wanderers
12	DF	Ben Chilwell	21 December 1996	0	0	Leicester City
14	DF	Jack Stephens	27 January 1994	2	0	Southampton
	DF	Brendan Galloway	17 March 1996	0	0	Everton
4	MF	Lewis Baker	25 April 1995	4	0	Vitesse Arnhem (on loan from Chelsea)
7	MF	John Swift	23 June 1995	2	0	Brentford (on loan from Chelsea)
8	MF	James Ward-Prowse	1 November 1994	19	5	Southampton
10	MF	Ruben Loftus-Cheek	23 January 1996	9	1	Chelsea
15	MF	Matt Grimes	15 July 1995	1	0	Blackburn Rovers (on loan from Swansea City)
	MF	Isaac Hayden	22 March 1995	0	0	Hull City (on loan from Arsenal)
9	FW	Chuba Akpom	9 October 1995	4	3	Hull City (on loan from Arsenal)
11	FW	Demarai Gray	28 June 1996	1	0	Leicester City
16	FW	Jordon Ibe	8 December 1995	4	0	Liverpool
17	FW	Dominic Solanke	14 September 1997	3	0	Vitesse (on loan from Chelsea)
18	FW	James Wilson	1 December 1995	1	1	Brighton & Hove Albion (on loan from Manchester United)
	FW	Rolando Aarons	16 November 1995	0	0	Newcastle United

Recent call ups

The following players have also been called up to the England under-21 squad and remain eligible:

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Angus Gunn	22 January 1996[15]	1	0	Manchester City	v.  Kazakhstan, 13 October 2015*[16][17]
DF	Tyias Browning	27 May 1994	0	0	Everton	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina/  Switzerland, 12/16 November 2015[18]
DF	Baily Cargill	5 July 1995	0	0	Bournemouth	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina/  Switzerland, 12/16 November 2015[18]
DF	Ola Aina	8 October 1996[19]	0	0	Chelsea	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina/  Switzerland, 12/16 November 2015[18]
DF	Eric Dier	15 January 1994	9	0	Tottenham Hotspur	v.  Kazakhstan, 13 October 2015[16]
DF	Joe Gomez	23 May 1997	3	0	Liverpool	v.  Kazakhstan, 13 October 2015[16]
DF	John Stones	28 May 1994	12	0	Everton	2015 European Championship, 17–30 June 2015
DF	Luke Shaw	12 July 1995	5	0	Manchester United	v.  Croatia, 10/14 October 2014
DF	Tyler Blackett	2 April 1994	1	0	Celtic (on loan from Manchester United)	v.  Lithuania/ Moldova, 5/9 September 2014
MF	Nathaniel Chalobah	12 December 1994	26	0	Napoli (on loan from Chelsea)	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina/  Switzerland, 12/16 November 2015[18]
MF	Jake Forster-Caskey	25 April 1994	14	0	Brighton & Hove Albion	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina/  Switzerland, 12/16 November 2015[18]
MF	Dele Alli	11 April 1996	2	0	Tottenham Hotspur	v.  United States/ Norway, 3/7 September 2015
MF	Will Hughes	7 April 1995	17	2	Derby County	2015 European Championship, 17–30 June 2015
FW	Duncan Watmore	8 March 1994	4	1	Sunderland	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina/  Switzerland, 12/16 November 2015[18]
FW	Cauley Woodrow	2 December 1994	4	0	Fulham	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina/  Switzerland, 12/16 November 2015[18]
FW	Solly March	20 July 1994	2	0	Brighton & Hove Albion	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina/  Switzerland, 12/16 November 2015[18]
FW	Nathan Redmond	6 March 1994	25	7	Norwich City	v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina/  Switzerland, 12/16 November 2015*[20]
FW	Raheem Sterling	8 December 1994	8	3	Manchester City	v.  Finland/ San Marino, 14/19 November 2013
FW	Nick Powell	23 March 1994	2	0	Manchester United	v.  Finland/ San Marino, 14/19 November 2013

• Player withdrew from the squad before any games had been played.

Past squads

• 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad
• 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad
• 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad
• 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad
• 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad
• 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship squad

References

1. "Southgate named England Under-21 boss". BBC. 22 August 2013.
2. BBC News – Wembley opener attracts thousands
3. BBC News – Wembley game 'sold out' in hours
4. The Guardian – Early set-back on Wembley's big day
5. "Pearce named England U21 manager". BBC Sport. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2007.
6. "Stuart Pearce: England Under-21 boss to leave role". BBC Sport. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
7. "Roy Hodgson and Ray Lewington to manage England Under-21s against Scotland". thefa.com. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
8. "England Under-21s thrash Scotland 6-0 in friendly". BBC News. 13 August 2013.
9. "Gareth Southgate named England Under-21 boss". BBC News. 22 August 2013.
10. "Holland to stay with U21s". http://www.thefa.com/. The Football Association. Retrieved 22 September 2013. External link in |work= (help)
11. "Martin Thomas". http://www.thefa.com/. The Football Association. Retrieved 22 September 2013. External link in |work= (help)
12. "Derek's Euro Role". http://www.nufc.co.uk/. Newcastle United. Retrieved 22 September 2013. External link in |work= (help)
13. "First team support staff". http://www.swfc.co.uk/. Sheffield Wednesday. Retrieved 22 September 2013. External link in |work= (help)
14. "Three new faces in England U21s squad to face Switzerland". The Football Association. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
15. "Angus Gunn". Manchester City FC. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
16. "England U21s squad named for Kazakhstan clash in Coventry". The Football Association. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
17. "Angus Gunn withdraws from England Under-21s squad". The Football Association. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
18. "Baily Cargill and Ben Chilwell called up by England U21s". The Football Association. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
19. "Ola Aina". Chelsea FC. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
20. "Demarai Gray called up into England Under-21s squad". The Football Association. Retrieved 10 November 2015.

External links

• Official FA England Under-21 website Contains listings of current England U-21 players.
• Uefa Under-21 website Contains full results archive
• The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21 Championship hosts and additional statistics, such as the Group Winners table for the 1998 qualifiers.