Friday 11 August 2017 18:21, UK
England youth sides' exploits this summer have fans dreaming of senior World Cup glory, but who will get their chance to shine in the Premier League this season? We pick five Young Lions primed to make their mark.
What a summer it was - England are world champions again. But it wasn't just the Under-20s who shone this close season.
England Under-17s got the ball rolling in May, eventually losing on penalties to Spain in the European Championship final, England Under-18s then retained the Toulon tournament, before the Under-19s then picked up another European Championship gong in July.
England Under-21s' agonising European Championship semi-final defeat to Germany let the side down somewhat, but if a last four appearance, succumbing to the lottery that a penalty shootout represents, is deemed a failure, then it certainly has been a mightily impressive few months for England's youth sides.
There were stars aplenty in those various successes. Now comes an even greater challenge: cracking the Premier League. We pick out five players ready to show the world what they can do on the grandest stage of all.
12 years at Chelsea, six loan stints, but just one Premier League start - the time was right to seek pastures new. As it turned out, Nathaniel Chalobah's new environment is rather familiar. The 22-year-old made 38 appearances for Watford in the 2012/13 season - twice as many as at any other club.
Chalobah's performances as England Under-21s' midfield anchor in Poland this summer lead to a new contract offer from Chelsea, but the first-team guarantees weren't there for a player determined to succeed.
"I realised that my chances were very slim at Chelsea," Chalobah told The Independent in a recent interview. "It's very hard for me to get in the team. It just hit me that I needed to go out and try to play games. Really let myself go and see how good I really am."
Watford have impressed in the transfer market this summer, bringing in some young, talented players hungry to make a name for themselves. Fellow England Under-21 star Will Hughes has been linked with Premier League clubs for years - now he has his stage at Vicarge Road, while Brazilian Richarlison arrives with a burgeoning reputation for being a defender's nightmare. Chalobah could be the fulcrum for this exciting new era at Watford.
Goals are all Tammy Abraham has known. 74 goals in 98 matches across all competitions for Chelsea's various youth sides was then followed by a prolific debut season in the Championship. Abraham's return of 23 strikes - over a third of struggling Bristol City's total goals - was only bettered by Leeds' Chris Wood.
While the 19-year-old only netted once for England Under-21s this summer, he led the line with aplomb, holding the ball up, linking up play and displayed an array of skill not many assumed this ostensibly ungainly target man possessed.
"He's very good technically for a big player," Abraham's former coach at Chelsea Adi Viveash told Sky Sports. "I don't think people give him enough credit for that. And the timing of his runs in the box is excellent."
Under the tutelage of the personable Paul Clement at Swansea, learning from the vastly experienced Fernando Llorente, Abraham is likely to play a big part in the Swans' fight for survival. He has excelled at everything he has touched so far - now for the next step.
Riyad Mahrez's projected move to Roma has not caused panic at Leicester. You'd think losing a player so pivotal to their 2015/16 title fairy tale would instigate a scramble for a potential replacement - but the Foxes already have their man.
Demarai Gray's game-time has been limited since signing from Birmingham in January 2016. While making 30 Premier League appearances last season, only nine were starts. Gray's exhilarating performances at the European U21 Championship made everyone aware of his boundless ability - something not lost on Craig Shakespeare.
"Hopefully he [Gray] can get more game time," Shakespeare said in July. "He's a player of huge potential who is rated very highly here among the coaching staff and his own players."
Aidy Boothroyd gave him licence to thrill in Poland, now Shakespeare must do the same. Gray has waited patiently, given his chance, he could thrive.
Turn the clock back a few months and Dominic Solanke faced an uncertain future. After making his Champions League debut for Chelsea just weeks after turning 17, Solanke seemed destined to be the first Blues youngster since John Terry to become a Stamford Bridge regular. But, as is often the case down the King's Road, such didn't materialise.
Solanke was aware that first-team opportunities would remain limited under Antonio Conte, so refused to pen a new deal, leaving the door open for Liverpool to secure his capture, and it wasn't long before Reds fans were given an indication of what Solanke can do, with the 19-year-old dazzling at the Under-20 World Cup, coming away with the Player of the Tournament award - the same accolade Lionel Messi, Paul Pogba and Sergio Aguero have collected.
"There has been a lot of talk about Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic leaving but in the long term, Solanke's departure could be the one Chelsea regret the most," Jamie Redknapp told the Daily Mail. "He may not start many games early on, but as the season progresses he will have a big part to play. Don't rule out an England call-up."
There is plenty of competition for that striker berth for Solanke to contend with, but after an impressive pre-season, expect him to be a big part of Jurgen Klopp's plans this season.
Another youngster who has enjoyed a meteoric rise is Lewis Cook. Bournemouth made Cook the most expensive English teenage signing last summer, but injuries hampered his first season on the south coast.
Such a setback would have had a detrimental effect on weaker-minded players, but not Cook, as he captained England to Under-20 glory in the summer. An impressive pre-season followed, finished off against Serie A giants Napoli. Cook did not look out of place. A breakthrough season, should he stay injury-free, awaits, with Cook's level-headed approach sure to stand him in good stead.
"Wherever you are you want to play as many games as you can," Cook told Sky Sports in June. "If I can get a few more games next year then I'll be really happy."
