Aidy Boothroyd enjoyed seeing his squad pick up two wins from two games

Aidy Boothroyd enjoyed seeing his squad pick up two wins from two games

England MU21s continue their season in October, with Aidy Boothroyd naming a 23-man squad for games against Slovenia and Austria.

The Young Lions head to Maribor for a match against the 2021 U21 EURO host nation on Friday 11 October, before heading back home to resume their qualifying campaign against Austria in Milton Keynes on Tuesday 15 October.

And head coach Boothroyd has been boosted by the addition of Chelsea pair Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi and AFC Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly, who all missed September’s games through injury.

There’s also a first U21s call-up for Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Brandon Austin, while the majority of the squad who picked up impressive victories over Turkey and Kosovo in September are involved again.

“After two good results in difficult and high-pressure games last month, we’ve kept the squad pretty consistent as they performed well," explained Boothroyd.

“We have a few players back from injury in Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James and Lloyd Kelly and we’re looking forward to getting back together again and we are building a strong core of players early on in the campaign.

“The squad also has more playing minutes at club level than they might normally do at this stage of the season, which is great for us ahead of these matches.

Expand The U21s line-up ahead of their victory over Kosovo in Hull last month

“It will be a tough game in Slovenia, we are expecting a low block that will be a good test for our players against a different type of opponent. As they’re one of the hosts of the next Euros, it’s a great chance for us to experience playing there, as we work hard to qualify for the tournament.

“Austria sit on top of the qualifying group alongside us and they’re a good, well-organised team and an emerging nation, so hopefully it will be an entertaining and competitive game for our supporters watching in Milton Keynes.

"The group is shaping up to have three or four teams pushing to qualify so we have to do everything properly and professionally and be at our best each game, but it will also be invaluable to the players’ development.”

Tickets for the game at stadiummk are on sale priced £1 for children (U16) and with an adult early bird ticket available at £10 until 19 August (Standard ticket £15). Concessions (under 22 and over 65) are available at £5 and Charter Standard and group booking discounts also apply.

The Squad

Goalkeeper: Brandon Austin (Tottenham Hotspur), Ellery Balcombe (Viborg FF, loan from Brentford), Aaron Ramsdale (AFC Bournemouth)

Defenders: Max Aarons (Norwich City), Trevoh Chalobah (Huddersfield Town, loan from Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Chelsea), Reece James (Chelsea), James Justin (Leicester City), Lloyd Kelly (AFC Bournemouth), Jonathan Panzo (Cercle Bruges, loan from AS Monaco), Steven Sessegnon (Fulham)

Midfielders: Todd Cantwell (Norwich City), Tom Davies (Everton), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Dwight McNeil (Burnley), Oliver Skipp (Tottenham Hotspur), Joe Willock (Arsenal)

Forwards: Rhian Brewster (Liverpool), Mason Greenwood (Manchester United), Callum Hudson Odoi (Chelsea), Reiss Nelson (Arsenal), Eddie Nketiah (Leeds United, loan from Arsenal)