At 10am this Tuesday, at the Sportschule Wedau in Duisburg, England U17s round off their return to action with the last of three friendlies, this time against Germany. The Young Lions opened the break with a 2–1 win over Venezuela, before defeating Israel by the same scoreline despite rotating the starting XI. And while these fixtures are classed as friendlies, they are of real significance, serving as preparation for the U17 European Championship qualifiers and the U17 World Cup later this calendar year.
England line-up against Germany :
Neil Ryan has assembled a highly promising 22-man squad, almost entirely made up of players born in 2009. The only exceptions are goalkeeper Ben Vickery (2007), now at Manchester City following his move from Hibernian in Edinburgh – set to make his England debut after previously being capped by Scotland U16s – and Chelsea attacking midfielder Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli (2010).
Another key name is Metz striker Brian Madjo. The powerful centre-forward, a regular starter in Ligue 1 this season, was born in London but raised in Luxembourg, where he represented the youth sides before stepping up to the senior national team for three friendlies. Having turned down a fresh call-up from Luxembourg, Madjo is keeping his options open, mindful of FIFA rules which prevent a switch once a player has featured in more than three friendlies or any competitive senior international.
England’s starting XI to face Germany :
- Roman Dowell (Newcastle United)
- Josiah King (Arsenal)
- Archie Thornton (Manchester City)
- Marlow Barrett (Manchester City)
- Fraser Widdop (Brighton and Hove Alnion)
- Sam Alabi (Newcastle United)
- Floyd Samba (Manchester City)
- Erik Farkas (Liverpool FC)
- Ryan Kavuma McQueen (Chelsea FC)
- Mathis Eboue (Chelsea FC)
- Brian Madjo (FC Metz)
