From U21 Champions to Senior Squad Regulars?

Lee Carsley’s England Under-21s have once again proven themselves to be one of the top teams in European football, winning the Euro 2025 title. As the team celebrates their success, attention turns to the question of who will make the step up to the senior squad for next year’s World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

One player who has already caught the eye of senior team manager Thomas Tuchel is Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott. The 21-year-old midfielder had a standout tournament, scoring crucial goals in the semi-finals and final, and was named player of the tournament. With only two Premier League starts this season, Elliott may be looking to leave Anfield in search of regular football, which could push him closer to senior recognition.

Another player who impressed in Slovakia was Manchester City’s James McAtee. The midfielder captained the U21s and excelled, but his future is uncertain, with reports suggesting he could leave Etihad Stadium this summer. The same uncertainty surrounds Anfield team-mate Jarell Quansah, who will be expecting more top-level minutes at Bayer Leverkusen once his impending move from Liverpool is confirmed.

Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento is also in the reckoning, having played a good tournament and a fine season for the Magpies. He has played on the right for England this summer but could fill the problematic left-back role for Tuchel. Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly started in the 3-1 defeat by Senegal and Livramento will be a standout option next summer should his form continue.

Other players who could make the step up include Charlie Cresswell, who impressed in Slovakia and was man of the match in the quarter-final win over Spain. The Toulouse defender has already played 33 times for the French club and has been linked with Serie A side Como.

Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson was a machine in Slovakia, impressing at the City Ground. The dynamic and combative 22-year-old is now too old for the Young Lions and a repeat of his first season at Forest will make him hard to ignore. Much is also expected of Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri, although, at 18, he is the youngest in the group.

The success of the U21s has led to a surge in expectations for the senior team, with Carsley and his coaches working to develop players and results over the past decade. The U17s won the Euros in 2014 and U19s followed in 2017 and 2022. There have also been World Cup wins for the U17s and U20s, both in 2017.

While some players from the 2023 winning team have already made the step up to the senior squad, including Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, and Morgan Gibbs-White, others, such as Eddie Nketiah, are yet to become regulars. Carsley’s victorious squad of 23 would love to join the list of players who have won the Under-21 European Championship and then a major senior tournament, including Laurent Blanc, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti, and Manuel Neuer.