Tuchel must ensure England U21s heroes get step up they deserve after Euros win

Daily Mirror

16 hours ago

There are no guarantees for England's latest generation of under-21s. Apart from one thing, of course… the experience, knowledge and buzz of winning and that is priceless for this group. To win back-to-back finals is a remarkable achievement.
The under-21s have become England's real Golden Generation. Lee Carsley has built a winning environment which can and should be taken into Thomas Tuchel's senior set-up. It is also great for the whole nation because the thrilling win over Germany in the European Championships under-21s final saw 3.7million tune in on Channel 4.
Now it has to be about who can make the step up into the seniors to bring with them that winning mentality which, arguably, is the most important ingredient in tournament football. Just look at this group. They were missing the likes of Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, Adam Wharton and Jobe Bellingham for various reasons and yet others stepped up to the plate.
That is a huge tribute to Carsley's coaching and there must be a sense of him also proving a point after his brief and mixed stint as caretaker boss of the seniors.
Liverpool's Harvey Elliott was voted Player of the Tournament and absolutely has a chance of next summer. If anything, Tuchel must reward these players and show there is a pathway. Elliott has all the ingredients.
It was good to see Tuchel make the Transatlantic dash to get to the final and, after so many questions about whether he is interested in the long term, it is vital these players do get every chance.
Jarell Quansah may be heading out of Liverpool but if he moves abroad he may get regular game time and he is good on the ball, reads danger and has shown leadership in this tournament.
England have a major issue in defence and players like Quansah and indeed Tino Livramento have a huge opportunity. Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri was a fringe player in Slovakia but his ability and skill will carry him all the way to the top.
You have to be realistic about this. Omari Hutchinson is a player still searching for a path at club level despite his obvious potential. He is a prime example of a player who can shine at under-21 level and yet not necessarily make the step up. Let's hope he does.
But there will be a lot of eyes on Manchester City academy graduate James McAtee because two years ago it was Cole Palmer who was on the same path. He won the under-21s with England, left City and has now become a huge name in his own right.
That team also included James Trafford, Levi Colwill, Curtis Jones, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Gibbs-White who have all become regulars in the senior squad. That is a remarkable production line. It's pretty unusual for that number of players to make the step up from one squad. That is maybe why McAtee needs to and probably will move.
He arguably does not have the same natural talent as Palmer but he does now have the same winning mentality. And that deserves to carry him a long way. Now it is over to England boss Tuchel to ensure the path is clear and fair for these players to follow the stars of two years ago to make the step up.
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