England’s national under-21 football team, besides known as England under-21s or England U21 ( randomness ), is considered to be the feeder team for the England national football team. This team is for english players aged under 21 at the begin of the calendar year in which a biennial european Under-21 Football Championship campaign begins, so some players can remain with the squad until the senesce of 23. angstrom long as they are eligible, players can play for England at any tied, making it possible to play for the U21s, senior side, and again for the U21s, as Jack Butland, Harry Kane, Calum Chambers and John Stones have done. It is besides possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior floor ( providing the player has not played a senior competitive game in his previous country ).
The U-21 team came into being, following the realignment of UEFA ‘s youth competitions, in 1976. A scoreless pull in a friendly against Wales at Wolverhampton Wanderers ‘ Molineux Stadium was England U21s ‘ first leave. England U21s do not have a permanent home. They play in stadium across England, in an attempt to encourage younger fans in all areas of the country to attend matches. 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 new Wembley Stadium, besides a world record attendance for a U21 game. [ 1 ] The match was one of the necessitate two events the stadium hosted in rate to gain its guard security in time for its full-capacity opening for the 2007 FA Cup Final in May. [ 2 ] [ 3 ]
Coaching staff [edit ]
Head coach [edit ]
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 foremost Technical Director, at Lilleshall. He handed over U21 responsibilities to England director 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 a tournament, his teams had an excellent read. He was controversially removed from the put in early 1999, however, and replaced initially by Peter Reid, who resigned after good one match in commit to dedicate more time to his other job as director of Sunderland. Howard Wilkinson took over afterwards, so far could alone produce four wins in ten competitive matches and discontinue after a class and a half in blame. David Platt took agitate leaving his job at 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 director Steve McClaren wanted the U21s to have a full-time director. taylor, at the meter, was combining his duties with his function as Crystal Palace foreman. On 1 February 2007, Manchester City director Stuart Pearce was appointed as head bus on a half-time basis until after the european Championships in the summer of 2007. Nigel Pearson, Newcastle United ‘s adjunct director, agreed to become Pearce ‘s adjunct. Their inaugural match in accusation 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 coach 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 position until June 2013, when it was announced that his compress would not be renewed. [ 6 ] On 31 July, the FA announced that England aged director Roy Hodgson would take charge of an England U21 friendly equal against Scotland at Bramall Lane, [ 7 ] the match ended in a 6–0 acquire for Hodgson ‘s side. [ 8 ] Former England international Gareth Southgate was made director of the under-21 team on 22 August. [ 9 ] In September 2016, Southgate was appointed to the irregular position of caretaker coach of the England elder side after the passing of Sam Allardyce. With Southgate overseeing the main team for four games, Aidy Boothroyd, the England under-20 coach, was appointed caretaker coach of the under-21s until Southgate ‘s render. [ 4 ] In February 2017, Boothroyd was confirmed as the permanent wave director. [ 10 ] Boothroyd left the character on in April 2021 following a disappointing european Championship campaign .
On 27 July 2021, Lee Carsley was promoted from his function with the England U20s to become the steer coach of the U21s with Ashley Cole appointed as his adjunct. [ 11 ]
U21 Coaching staff [edit ]
competitive record [edit ]
As a european U21 team, England compete for the European Championship, with the finals every odd-numbered year, once 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 tilt period. After losing to France in the 1988 semi-final, England then failed to qualify for the last eight for five hale campaigns. In the qualify stages for the 1998 tournament, England won their group, but destine was not on their side. Because there were nine groups, and only eight places, the two group-winning nations with bad records had to a play-off to eliminate one of them. England lost the away leg of this extra qualify attack and were eliminated on off 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 well. 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 following two matches. The three goals conceded in the 3–1 kill to group runner-up Poland were the lone blemish on the team ‘s modify read. England got knocked out in the group degree of the European Championship finals in 2000 under Wilkinson. After enlisting erstwhile external star David Platt as coach, England qualified for the 2002 tournament in Switzerland. Again England did ill 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 firm France team in a two-legged playoff and failed to qualify for the 2006 tournament. The adjacent political campaign started soon after the 2006 finals – the reservation phase of the 2007 competition. UEFA decided to shift the tournament forward to avoid a clash with senior tournaments taking put in even-numbered years. The reservation degree was heavily reduced, being completed in a year ‘s less meter. 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 equalizer and a marathon punishment gunfight, England were eliminated. In 2009, England finished as runner-up, losing 4–0 to Germany in the final. England finished second in their qualify 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 get the better of to the Czech Republic. England besides subsequently exited the 2013 and 2015 Finals tournaments at the group stagecoach, reached the last 4 in 2017, earlier again exiting at the group stage in 2019 and 2021 .
UEFA European Under-21 Championship record
UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification record
Manager(s)
Year
Round
Position
*
1978
Semi-Finals
4th of 8
4
1
2
1
4
4
4
4
0
0
17
2
Sexton
1980
Semi-Finals
3rd of 8
4
1
1
2
4
4
4
4
0
0
11
2
Sexton
1982
Champions
1st of 8
6
3
2
1
11
8
6
4
1
1
12
5
Sexton
1984
Champions
1st of 8
6
5
0
1
13
3
6
5
0
1
13
4
Sexton
1986
Semi-Finals
4th of 8
4
1
2
1
3
4
6
3
2
1
9
3
Sexton
1988
Semi-Finals
3rd of 8
4
2
1
1
6
6
4
1
3
0
7
3
Sexton
1990
Did not qualify
6
4
1
1
10
5
Sexton
1992
Did not qualify
6
3
1
2
11
5
McMenemy
1994
Did not qualify
10
4
3
3
20
8
McMenemy
1996
Did not qualify
8
6
1
1
13
4
Sexton
1998
Did not qualify
10
6
3
1
11
5
Taylor
2000
Group Stage
5th of 8
3
1
0
2
6
4
9
8
0
1
26
3
Taylor, Reid, Wilkinson[12]
2002
Group Stage
7th of 8
3
1
0
2
4
6
8
5
2
1
18
8
Wilkinson Platt[13]
2004
Did not qualify
8
3
2
3
14
10
Platt
2006
Did not qualify
12
6
4
2
23
10
Taylor
2007
Semi-Finals
3rd of 8
4
1
3
0
5
3
4
3
1
0
8
4
Taylor, Pearce[14]
2009
Runners-Up
2nd of 8
5
2
2
1
8
9
10
8
2
0
22
5
Pearce
2011
Group Stage
7th of 8
3
0
2
1
2
3
10
6
3
1
17
8
Pearce
2013
Group Stage
7th of 8
3
0
0
3
1
5
10
9
0
1
26
3
Pearce
2015
Group Stage
7th of 8
3
1
0
2
2
4
12
11
1
0
35
4
Southgate
2017
Semi-Finals
3rd of 12
4
2
2
0
7
3
8
6
2
0
20
3
Southgate, Boothroyd[15]
2019
Group Stage
9th of 12
3
0
1
2
6
9
10
8
2
0
23
4
Boothroyd
2021
Group Stage
12th of 16
3
1
0
2
2
4
10
9
1
0
34
9
Boothroyd
Total
2 titles
16/23
62
22
18
22
84
79
181
126
35
20
400
117
Note: The year of the tournament represents the class in which it ends .
- *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Media coverage [edit ]
England Euro qualifiers and friendlies are presently broadcast by Sky Sports.
Read more: Swansea City A.F.C.
Results and fixtures [edit ]
2023 UEFA european Under-21 Championship [edit ]
qualification [edit ]
Group stage [edit ]
Updated to match ( einsteinium ) played on 16 November 2021. generator : UEFA
Records [edit ]
Most capped players [edit ]
Note: Club(s) represents the permanent club during the actor ‘s clock in the Under-21s. Those players in bold are still eligible to play for the team .
Leading goalscorers [edit ]
Note: Club(s) represents the permanent club during the player ‘s time in the Under-21s. Those players in bold are inactive eligible to play for the team .
Players [edit ]
stream team [edit ]
The comply players were named in the squad for the qualifier against Czech Republic on 11 November and friendly against Georgia on 16 November 2021. [ 16 ] Caps and goals updated as of 11 October 2021 after the match against Andorra. Names in italics denote players who have been capped for the senior team.
late call-ups [edit ]
The following players have previously been called up to the England under-21 squad in the last 12 months and remain eligible .
- INJ Player withdrew from the squad before any games had been played.
- sen Player withdrew from the squad due to a call up to the senior team.
Past squads [edit ]
References [edit ]
- 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.