The young stars behind England's road to Under-21 final

Related Articles

Ahead of England's match against Germany in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship Final, Ben Bloom looks at the key players looking to help Lee Carsley's side to victory and where their journeys began.

A titanic showdown awaits on Saturday night when England face old rivals Germany in the final of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

After lifting the trophy two years ago, Lee Carsley’s reigning champions are bidding to replicate the successive U21 Euros wins they managed in 1982 and 1984.

The top scorers in qualifying for the tournament, England started slowly in the group stage, beating Czech Republic in their opener before a goalless draw against Slovenia and defeat against Saturday’s opponents Germany.

Things improved markedly in the knockout rounds, with wins over Spain (3-1) and Netherlands (2-1) to secure their spot in the final.

Germany, though, head into the game with a 100 per cent record after five straight victories. They lead the overall scoring charts with 15 team goals, while front man Nick Woltemade’s six strikes put him two clear of England’s Harvey Elliott at the top of the individual standings.

Carsley, who played in the Premier League for five different clubs, has been head coach of England U21 since 2021. He served a brief period as interim boss of the senior England side last year before Thomas Tuchel’s appointment.

Here is a guide to the players looking to help England to victory in Slovakia on Saturday (kick-off 20:00 BST).

England's key men

James Beadle (Brighton)

Age: 20 Pos: Goalkeeper

EFL Sheff Wed: P57; Oxford: P25; Crewe: P9

Premier League 2 Brighton: P15

Under-18 Premier League Brighton: P3

Beadle has started every game in goal for England and, although caught out for the Netherlands equaliser in the semi-finals, is certain to keep his spot for the final as he looks to prove himself capable of being a top-level No 1.

Charlie Cresswell (Toulouse)

Age: 22 Pos: Defender

PL Leeds United: P5 G0 A0

EFL Millwall: P28 G4 A2; Leeds: P5 G0 A0

Premier League 2 Leeds: P16 G0 A0

One of only two members (alongside Elliott) of the title-winning squad two years ago, Cresswell has been England’s standout defender during the tournament, scoring in their opening win and relishing his role as a senior figure in the team.

Jarell Quansah (Liverpool)

Age: 22 Pos: Defender

PL Liverpool: P30 G2 A0

Premier League 2 Liverpool: P27 G1 A0

Under-18 Premier League Liverpool: P31 G3 A1

Amid speculation about a potential club switch from Liverpool to the German Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, Quansah has combined with Cresswell to form a dominant centre-back pairing at the U21 Euros, playing every minute of the tournament so far.

Tino Livramento (Newcastle United)

Age: 22 Pos: Defender

PL Newcastle: P63 G1 A1; Southampton: P30 G1 A1

EFL None

Premier League 2 Chelsea: P26 G3 A5

Under-18 Premier League Chelsea: P13 G0 A0

Off the back of an excellent domestic campaign with Newcastle, Livramento has shone in Slovakia, stealing the show in victory against the Czechs and proving himself adept at either end of the pitch, from either left-back or right-back.

Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)

Age: 22 Pos: Midfielder

PL Liverpool: P92 G5 A10; Fulham: P2 G0 A0

EFL Blackburn Rovers: P41 G7 A11

Premier League 2 Liverpool: P14 G2 A5

Under-18 Premier League Fulham: P18 G5 A4

After topping England’s goalscoring charts in qualifying, the Liverpool man has also led the way at the tournament, scoring four times – including both goals in the semi-final win over Netherlands – as he bids for a second U21 Euros medal.

James McAtee (Manchester City)

Age: 21 Pos: Midfielder

PL Sheffield United: P30 G3 A3; Man City: P18 G3 A0

EFL Sheffield United: P37 G9 A3

Premier League 2 Man City: P45 G25 A19

Under-18 Premier League Man City: P27 G11 A7

Having opted out of playing at the FIFA Club World Cup with Man City, McAtee started the U21 Euros slowly, but played a key part in the quarter-final and semi-final victories, and will now captain his country in a major final.

Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City)

Age: 22 Pos: Forward

PL Fulham: P4 G0 A0

EFL Birmingham City: P80 G31 A5; Exeter City: P36 G9 A7; Fulham: P2 G0 A0

Under-18 Premier League Fulham: P25 G28 A4

With Carsley deciding not to use a specialist striker throughout the group stage, Stansfield impressed off the bench sufficiently to be handed starting berths in the quarter-final and semi-final, and is highly likely to lead the line against Germany.

Rest of England's squad

Ronnie Edwards (Southampton)

Age: 22 Pos: Defender

PL Southampton: P1 G0 A0

EFL Peterborough United: P121 G1 A2; Queens Park Rangers: P21 G2 A0

Premier League 2 Southampton: P2 G0 A0

Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough)

Age: 23 Pos: Midfielder

EFL Middlesbrough: P99 G9 A7; Scunthorpe United: P28 G0 A2

Under-18 Premier League Middlesbrough: P27 G5 A7

Tom Fellows (West Bromwich Albion)

Age: 21 Pos: Forward

EFL West Brom: P82 G8 A17; Crawley Town: P38 G0 A2

Premier League 2 West Brom: P2 G0 A0

Under-18 Premier League West Brom: P28 G8 A8

Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest)

Age: 22 Pos: Midfielder

PL Newcastle: P44 G0 A3; Nottingham Forest: P37 G2 A6

EFL Bristol Rovers: P21 G7 A6

Under-18 Premier League Newcastle: P17 G6 A4

Jonathan Rowe (Marseille)

Age: 22 Pos: Forward

PL Norwich City: P13 G0 A1

EFL Norwich City: P35 / G12 / A2

Under-18 Premier League Norwich City: P28 G12 A3

Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town)

Age: 21 Pos: Forward

PL Ipswich: P31 G3 A2; Chelsea: P1 G0 A0

EFL Ipswich: P44 G10 A5

Premier League 2 Chelsea: P21 G7 A7; Arsenal: P18 G6 A5

Under-18 Premier League Arsenal: P20 G7 A7

Brooke Norton-Cuffy (Genoa)

Age: 21 Pos: Defender

EFL Millwall: P40 G2 A4; Coventry City: P21 G0 A0; Rotherham United: P20 G0 A2; Lincoln City: P17 G1 A1

Premier League 2 Arsenal: P13 G0 A0

Under-18 Premier League Arsenal: P14 G0 A1

Tommy Simkin (Stoke City)

Age: 20 Pos: Goalkeeper

EFL Walsall: P40 G0 A0; Stoke City: P1 G0 A0; Forest Green Rovers: P1 G0 A0

Premier League 2 Stoke City: P5 G0 A0

Under-18 Premier League Stoke City: P26 G0 A0

Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur)

Age: 19 Pos: Defender/Midfielder

PL Spurs: P28 G0 A0

EFL Leeds: P44 / G0 / A2

Premier League 2 Leeds: P15 / G1 / A1

Under-18 Premier League Leeds: P10 / G2 / A0

CJ Egan-Riley (Burnley)

Age: 22 Pos: Defender

PL Man City: P1 G0 A0

EFLBurnley: P44 G1 A1

Premier League 2 Man City: P35 G0 A1

Under-18 Premier League Man City: P23 G0 A1

Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton)

Age: 20 Pos: Defender/Midfielder

PL Brighton: P39 G8 A2

Premier League 2 Brighton: P27 G5 A4

Under-18 Premier League Brighton: P30 G6 A7

Samuel Iling-Junior (Aston Villa)

Age: 21 Pos: Defender/Midfielder

Football League Middlesbrough: P16 G1 A2

Under-18 Premier League Chelsea: P9 G0 A1

Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth)

Age: 21 Pos: Midfielder

PL Bournemouth: P43 G1 A1

EFL Bristol City: P83 G5 A6

Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)

Age: 18 Pos: Forward

PL Arsenal: P28 G4 A2

Premier League 2 Arsenal: P24 G11 A4

Under-18 Premier League Arsenal: P16 G7 A5

Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea)

Age: 22 Pos: Goalkeeper

EFL Doncaster Rovers: P46 G0 A0

Premier League 2 Chelsea: P20 G0 A0

Tyler Morton (Liverpool)

Age: 22 Pos: Midfielder

PL Liverpool: P2 G0 A0

EFL Blackburn: P40 G0 A2; Hull City: P39 G3 A5

Premier League 2 Liverpool: P39 G9 A8; Blackburn: P1 G0 A0

Under-18 Premier League Liverpool: P16 G4 A6

Click here to read article