Sunderland trio receive England youth call-ups ahead of major summer tournament
Three Sunderland players will represent England U19s this summer
Sunderland trio Chris Rigg, Tommy Watson, and Matty Young have been called up for England’s U19s squad ahead of this summer’s European Championships in Romania.
The group of Black Cats starlets have all enjoyed breakout campaigns in one guise or another, and have been duly rewarded with a nod for the upcoming tournament, which begins in mid-June.
Rigg has established himself as a key member of Regis Le Bris’ first team on Wearside since the beginning of the season, and alongside a meteoric rise for his boyhood club, has been touted as a target for a number of high-profile Premier League and continental suitors. To that end, Watson has already sealed a move to the top flight, and will join Brighton and Hove Albion this summer, while Young was a standout performer for Salford City during a loan stint in League Two, and has reinforced his credentials as a potential Sunderland starter of the future.
What are the details of England U19s’ European Championship campaign?
In an official statement on Monday morning, the national team said: “England men’s under-19s will head to Romania in June to compete for the UEFA U19 EURO title. The Young Lions have reached the last eight of the competition after coming through two qualifying rounds this season, as the 2024-25 year group look to get their hands on a trophy which England last won in 2023.
“And head coach Will Antwi has named his squad for the Finals, where England will face Norway in their opening game on Saturday 14 June at the Ilie Oana Stadium in Ploiesti (3pm BST). Then it’s on to a match with Germany on Tuesday 17 June (6pm BST) at the Arcul de Triumf Stadium in Bucharest, before the Young Lions remain in the capital for their final group match against the Netherlands on Friday 20 June (6pm BST) at the Giulesti Stadium. The top two nations from the group tables will then progress to the semi-finals which will be held on Monday 23 June, with the final scheduled for Thursday 26 June.
“Antwi’s team secured their place at the Finals after topping their elite qualifying round table in March, after a victory over hosts Wales, a draw with Turkiye and then a decisive final-game win over Portugal. Prior to that, the squad travelled to Bulgaria for the first qualifying round last November, when wins over Lithuania and Bulgaria and a draw with Belgium kick-started their EURO campaign.”
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England’s full squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Finlay Herrick (West Ham United), Tommy Setford (Arsenal), Matthew Young (Sunderland)
Defenders: Zach Abbott (Nottingham Forest), Joe Johnson (Luton Town), Caleb Kporha (Crystal Palace), Jayden Meghoma (Brentford), Stephen Mfuni (Manchester City), Harrison Murray-Campbell (Chelsea), Triston Rowe (Aston Villa)
Midfielders: Tyler Dibling (Southampton), Kiano Dyer (Chelsea), Josh King (Fulham), Lewis Miley (Newcastle United), Chris Rigg (Sunderland)
Forwards: Samuel Amo-Ameyaw (RC Strasbourg), Shumaira Mheuka (Chelsea), Mikey Moore (Tottenham Hotspur), Tom Watson (Sunderland), Ethan Wheatley (Manchester United), Kadan Young (Royal Antwerp, loan from Aston Villa)
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