England head to Indonesia inspired by Under-17 World Cup winner Phil Foden
Phil Foden has helped provide inspiration to the England Under-17s (Nick Potts/PA)
England head into the Under-17 World Cup with Phil Foden’s words for inspiration.
The Young Lions are aiming to become just the third England side to win a World Cup.
They touched down in Indonesia last week and face New Caledonia at the Jakarta International Stadium on Saturday.
Rhian Brewster, Angel Gomes, centre, and Phil Foden, right, after winning the World Cup (Steven Paston/PA)
Six years ago, Manchester City’s Foden was part of the squad which included Conor Gallagher, Jadon Sancho and Morgan Gibbs-White to lift the World Cup in India. He scored twice in a 5-2 final win over Spain and won player of the tournament.
Now he is part of a montage which includes the Under-17 victory and this summer’s Under-21 Euro 2023 triumph, which the current crop have been shown across their qualification campaign.
“We heard from players like Phil, his recollections of that tournament in 2017, and how he felt it helped and developed him on his journey,” boss Ryan Garry tells the PA news agency from England’s base in Jakarta.
“It’s a huge achievement winning the World Cup at any level. The fantastic work done by the players and staff is a real reference point, not just for this age group but for a lot of people at St. George’s Park.
“You’re never going to be too far away from hearing or speaking about success. That age group have then gone on to repeat their success in the Euros this summer.
“It’s something our group aspires to do. The message was about being together.”
England also face Iran on Tuesday and defending champions Brazil next Friday in Group C.
The squad includes Ethan Nwaneri, who became Arsenal’s and the Premier League’s youngest ever
Read on belfasttelegraph.co.uk
