Three years ago, England won UEFA’s Euro Under-19 championship, beating Portugal 2-1 in the final – but how have players who raised the trophy since then kicked?
England’s U19 victory in Georgia was a crucial moment. With England’s U20s having won their World Cup a month earlier, it sparked the discussion of a large number of young talents (although the words “Golden Generation” are prohibited by British law).
This is where manager Keith Downing’s Young Lions are located in 2020: from Tottenham’s “new Messi” ripping him off in Portugal to a player who currently has no club.
An amazing success. Eddie Howe’s surprise decision to start Ramsdale this season has paid off despite the Bournemouth fights. After the loan spells in Chesterfield and AFC Wimbledon, the 22-year-old is now in the process of receiving caps for senior England, while the big clubs are watching closely.
Pacey Chelsea full-back scored a goal in the Euro U19 final but impressed differently, making the team the tournament. Sterling (no relationship) did well as he was loaned to Coventry in 2018/19, but struggled with injuries this season on loan in Wigan.
England U19 captain who won the trophy in 2017, Dasilva was loaned from Chelsea to the city of Bristol in 2018/19, where the now 22-year-old showed off his attacking skills. City signed him permanently last summer, but a fractured tibia means he has lost five months of this season.
The Aston Villa graduate opened a new path after signing for Primeira Liga’s Vira in January. His debut, a 2-2 draw with Sporting CP, made Suliman the first Pakistani downhill player to play in Portugal’s top flight. He played for England up to U20, but is still eligible for Pakistan as well.
The Leicester defender had a horror start in his 2019 loan at Hibs: his debut against Celtic saw him put Emilio Izaguirre on a stretcher and then get a two-game ban for his challenge. Ouch. The 21-year-old is back with the Foxes but for now he plays in the Premier League 2.
Released in the Euro U19 final, but made his championship debut with Fulham next season. He made his loan debut for Ipswich in 2018 – but signed definitively for Lincoln this January, where Imps manager Michael Appleton described Edun as “a Rolls-Royce” after a great first start.
The player of the Euro U19 tournament continues to improve. Magnificent on loan to Vitesse and Derby, Mount has been phenomenal at Frank Lampard’s Chelsea this season. He already has six appearances in England – plus one goal – at the age of 21. A PFA Young Player of the Year competitor (if Trent Alexander-Arnold hadn’t sewn it).
The director of Ipswich, and son of the legend of the club Jason, was once linked to the likes of Liverpool. But after scoring just 16 in the league, he struggled to live up to the publicity. A cruciate ligament injury didn’t help, although an extension of the contract to 2021 means Dozzell has next season to show his true class.
RW: Isaac Buckley-Ricketts
The Manchester City graduate played all 90 minutes in the final, but is now without a club. He played six games of Eredivisie on loan at Twente in 2017, before the winger moved permanently to Peterborough. However, it did not have an impact and was released in September 2019.
In 2019 he signed for Tottenham a versatile prodigy for £ 25 million, but the teenager who burned down opponents at Fulham got stuck. He scored in the Champions League in December, but has not yet appeared since the restart of the project. Barcelona was connected with a shock move – so Sessegnon still has admirers. What can go wrong in North London?
Born in Hamburg, Nmecha scored the winner in the Euro U19 final, then played two Premier League games for Man City. Loans have been since then: Preston, Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, while now he is under Neil Warnock in Middlesbrough. Lucky him. Worryingly, he started to represent Germany U21 after the move in March 2019.
Top scorer of the Euro U19s final after three goals in the group stage, the 21-year-old forward Brereton has since scored in the championship for Nottingham Forest and Blackburn’s parent company.
The Arsenal graduate midfielder has never played for the Gunners but has shone since joining Brentford for free. The 21-year-old has nine league goals and is a normal for high altitude bees this season.
Many Spurs fans were furious to see a Mauricio Pochettino man once compared to a young Leo Messi let loose – and he has since looked at a star in Vitoria, even scoring against Arsenal in the Europa League. Tottenham is said to be able to try to buy it back soon.
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