England U18, managed by Will Antwi, will return to action during the November international break. The Young Lions will travel to Spain for the last time of the year to play three friendly fixtures against the Netherlands, Sweden and finally Switzerland. All three games will be played at the Oliva Nova complex in the Valencia region. England will begin their camp on Wednesday, 11 November at 2pm GMT against the Netherlands, before taking on Sweden on Saturday, 14 November at 11am. They will round off their stay in Spain on Monday, 16 November at 3pm against Switzerland.
A friendly camp to round off the year
Will Antwi’s side head into the latest international break after an October camp which saw them compete in the Friendship Cup, a friendly tournament in which England finished top of their group before suffering defeat in the final.
The Young Lions made a perfect start to the competition with a 3-2 victory over Colombia, with Jashayde Greenwood scoring twice alongside a goal from Michael Mills. They then followed that up with a second win against Egypt (2-1). Ryan Kavuma-McQueen opened the scoring before Mills restored England’s lead to secure another victory.
England’s third and final group game was against South Korea, with the Young Lions claiming another 2-1 win. Alabi opened the scoring before Ryan Kavuma-McQueen struck the decisive goal in stoppage time. With three wins from three, England finished top of their group and booked their place in the final. However, Will Antwi’s side were unable to round off the tournament with another victory, losing 2-0 to Spain in the final. This latest international break will therefore provide an opportunity to return to action against three more European nations, once again in a friendly setting.
Six new faces in Will Antwi’s squad
For the trip to Spain, Will Antwi has selected a 24-man squad. The group includes several players who featured in previous camps, as well as six new faces who will have the opportunity to make their England debut or return to the international setup.
The most notable case is Joseph Cowan. The Sunderland goalkeeper, who has never previously been called up to an England youth side, will wear the Young Lions shirt for the first time. He is joined by Manchester United defender Jacob Watson, who was still part of the U17 setup during the previous international break.
Four other players return to the England setup after being called up to the U17s around a year ago. They are Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Jerome Abbey, Tottenham Hotspur forward Oliver Boast, Chelsea forward Mathis Eboue and Manchester City forward Teddie Lamb.
The remainder of the squad retains a degree of continuity from previous camps. Several players who featured in the Friendship Cup have been selected again, including Jashayde Greenwood, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen and Jeremy Monga. The Young Lions can therefore build on much of their October squad as they continue their development against the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland.
England U18 squad :
Goalkeepers:
- Joseph Cowan (Sunderland)
- Roman Dowell (Newcastle United)
- Ben Vickery (Manchester City)
Defenders:
- Marlow Barrett (Manchester City)
- Calvin Diakite (Chelsea)
- Freddie Lawrie (Manchester City)
- Marli Salmon (Arsenal)
- Gabriel Sambou (Chelsea)
- Oscar Sandiford (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Reon Smith (West Ham United)
- Jacob Watson (Manchester United)
Midfielders:
- Jerome Abbey (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
- Samuel Alker (Leeds United)
- Hugo De Lisle (Leicester City)
- Erik Farkas (Liverpool)
- Max Little (Southampton)
- Tyrese Noubissie (RC Strasbourg)
Forwards:
- Oliver Boast (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Mathis Eboue (Chelsea)
- Jashayde Greenwood (Chelsea)
- Teddie Lamb (Manchester City)
- Ryan Kavuma-McQueen (Portsmouth, on loan from Chelsea)
- Jeremy Monga (Swansea City, on loan from Manchester City)
- Kyran Thompson (Newcastle United)
