England U21 boss Carsley hails Nwaneri’s ‘growth’ | OneFootball

Lee Carsley acknowledged that his England U21 squad will undergo plenty of changes, with this camp marking only their second since the Young Lions’ U21 Euros triumph in Slovakia.

Only five players — James Beadle, Tommy Simkin, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Archie Gray and Ethan Nwaneri — remain from the squad that won the tournament, while the returning Rico Lewis and Jamie Gittens bring valuable experience.

However, Carsley says that plenty of players are being monitored as the squad evolves, with opportunities opening up for emerging talent.

“I think the squad will change,” he said. “We’ll have lots of players that come in and come out because of the nature of this.

“We have to look at as many players as we can that are at the level. I think it’s more important that in two years’ time that’s the squad to get into, potentially, if we go to a major championship.

He added: “It’s definitely about adapting. I think there’s a tendency to reminisce, especially when you’ve done well in the past, on different players that you’ve had and different experiences you’ve had.

“You have to realise that this is the first time for a lot of these players. So you have to make sure that we adjust as staff to the experience and the level that these players are at. Our first impressions of the group are very positive.

“We’ve got some outstanding players. I’m sure you could name a few. They have a lot of potential. Ultimately, the goal is to get qualified from the group and to put them in a position where they can play in a major tournament again.

“We’ve seen the correlation between teams that go on and win the tournament to make senior debuts. So, we’re seeing that there’s a big trend that goes next to, and that’s going right the way back to Dave Sexton’s team of players that four or five of them made their debuts.

“They win it, they make their debuts. It’s similar to the ‘23 and ‘25 squad. So hopefully they can see the importance of the pathway and how important it is to get to a major championship.”

One player who made a strong impression in Friday’s 4-0 win over Moldova, and will be one to watch against Andorra on Monday night, is Nwaneri.

The 18-year-old already boasts valuable experience at club level with Arsenal and also brings pedigree from being part of the squad in Slovakia.

“He’s a player that obviously I know a lot about,” Carsley said. “Ethan, we’ve worked with him now for a good couple of years. He was with us in the summer. He’s one, along with two or three others that’s a European champion.

“He’s definitely grown into the responsibility that he’s got within the squad in terms of the example that he sets both on and off the pitch. He’s a player that we rate highly.”