Everton youngsters making their mark for England Under-19 squad

Everton midfielder John Lundstram has been named in the England Under-19 squad for next month’s friendly against Denmark, but fellow Toffees youngster Hallam Hope narrowly missed the cut.

The 18-year-old is the current captain of the Three Lions and is likely to line up on the left side of midfield for the game on Thursday 5 February at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium.

The left-footed player is regarded as a real talent at Goodison Park with excellent passing ability and an eye for a tackle.

He was named the Blues’ Under-16 Player of the Year at the end of the 2009/10 campaign.

With an eye on the qualifying round in May for this summer’s European Championship finals in Lithuania, England Under-19 coach Noel Blake has selected an 18-man group for the game against the Danes.

Blake admitted that Everton striker Hallam Hope was unfortunate to miss out on selection for a crop of players he believes can go far in the competition.

“It’s certainly a strong and experienced year group when everyone is available,” Blake said the official Everton website.

“We are quite an experienced squad with the likes of Eric Dier, Hallam Hope, Nathan Redmond, John Lundstrum and Nathaniel Chalobah all playing in last year’s Under-19s European Championship finals in Estonia.

“There is good competition for places in the squad and the ever-increasing depth of talent means there are a lot of players who can consider themselves unlucky not to be selected.

“As I have said before, it’s a nice problem to have and one that we would like to have all the time.”

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