Promising goalkeeper Nathan Trott has been included in the England Under 19 squad for the upcoming UEFA European Championship next month.
The 18-year-old was a key figure for West Ham's Under 23 team last season and his form was rewarded by the national selectors in March when he was called-up for the three Elite Round qualifiers against Spain, Norway and Belarus.
The Young Lions won all three matches to seal their passage to the tournament in Georgia, but Trott had to settle for a watching brief on the sidelines.
However, his eye-catching displays for the Hammers PL2 group have seen him achieve his first major tournament call-up, with England set to open their campaign against Bulgaria on July 3, followed by two more group fixtures against the Netherlands on July 6 and Germany on July 9.
"It's always a pleasure to represent England and it's even more exciting to do so in a major tournament," he said.
"I've had a great year and being selected in the Euros squad has made it even better. Hopefully I can impress the manager and get my first cap out there."
It's been a hugely successful summer for England's youth sides so far. The U20s set the ball rolling when they clinched the Toulon Tournament title two weeks ago, beating Ivory Coast on penalties in the final with young Hammer Dan Kemp in the squad. A day later, England's senior U20 group won the World Cup for the first time in their history, beating Venezuela 1-0 in the final.
And with the U21s poised for a European semi-final with Germany on Tuesday, Trott hopes the U19s can maintain the feel-good factor generated by the England youth sides so far this summer.
"It's great to be a part of a team where you can achieve great things and hopefully we can add to that success this summer.
"All the success gives everyone in the other age groups confidence and it's important we do well at the Euros to keep the feel-good factor going in England."
The competition officially gets underway on July 2nd and you can keep up to date with England's progress at the tournament on Eurosport.
|
