England’s latest generation of stars are hungrier than ever to dominate, feels Lee Carsley… as U21s boss outlines Germany and Spain similarity

Lee Carsley believes England’s conveyor belt of young players is now producing groups of winners who are determined to dominate at every single age group. 

Former England winger Theo Walcott questioned how seriously England took international football compared to other nations. 

But Carsley, who was speaking prior to the Under-21’s second Euros group game against Slovenia on Sunday, believes this current generation are cut from a different cloth. 

‘I think that’s definitely a generational thing,’ he said when referencing the German Under-21 team that won the Euros in 2009 before winning the World Cup five years later.   

‘Years ago that German team, they went through to the senior team and then done so well and it was the same with Spain. 

‘Hopefully the 21s from the last campaign can be that kind of team.’ 

He continued: ‘Winning one tournament is great but it’s the dominating bit that we want to get better at. 

‘There is a big difference between hope and belief. I feel that we are producing a generation of English players that believe that they can win and they can do really well in these tournaments. 

‘But it starts from those building blocks with making sure first and foremost we qualify from the group and then trying to build on that.’

On the men’s side, England are involved in major competitions at Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 level this summer and they all boast strong prospects across all three.

Having won the Euros two years ago for the first time in 39 years, a lot of the focus is on going back-to-back with a squad that has only two faces in it from the 2023 group.

But for Carsley there is no divine right that England should win because they are England. 

‘I think from an Under-21 point of view, we won it in 1982, won it in 1984, hadn’t won it before then. 

‘Won it again in 2023 and so I don’t think we should ever have an expectation of, “Oh, England should win that” because our past would prove that we haven’t. 

‘I definitely feel that this generation of players, and not only this group but in terms of the 17s and 19s who are all involved in major competitions this summer, I spoke about it before, the level of player coming through there is definitely a conveyor belt of players that aren’t happy just to be here. 

‘I definitely feel in their minds they have come here to win.’

England Under-21’s face Slovenia in their second group game on Sunday afternoon knowing victory would book their place in the quarter-finals.