At 2pm this Wednesday, at the Leichtathletikstadion in Basel, England U17s kick off their return to action with the first of three friendlies, opening against Venezuela. These matches carry extra weight, coming just before the Young Lions begin their U17 European Championship qualifiers and then head into the U17 World Cup. The clash with Venezuela is particularly significant – the two sides are due to meet again in their opening World Cup fixture.
England line-up against Venezuela :
Neil Ryan has named a 22-man squad brimming with talent, almost entirely made up of players born in 2009. There are just two exceptions: goalkeeper Ben Vickery (2007), who recently joined Manchester City from Hibernian and will make his first appearance for England after previously being capped by Scotland U16s, and Chelsea attacking midfielder Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli (2010).
Another standout name is FC Metz forward Brian Madjo. The powerful centre-forward, a regular starter in Ligue 1 this season, was born in London but raised in Luxembourg, whom he represented at youth level before stepping up to their senior side for three friendlies. Having turned down his latest call-up from Luxembourg, Madjo is keeping his options open – FIFA rules mean players are tied once they’ve featured in more than three friendlies or a competitive senior international.
England’s starting XI to face Venezuela :
- George Mair (Newcastle United)
- Josiah King (Arsenal)
- Liam Balmer (Liverpool)
- Reuben Gokah (Everton)
- Marlow Barrett (Manchester City)
- Sam Alabi (Newcastle United)
- Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli (Chelsea FC)
- Malik Olayiwola (Everton FC)
- Ryan Kavuma McQueen (Chelsea FC)
- Ajay Tavares (Norwich FC)
- Brian Madjo (FC Metz)
