Aidy Boothroyd says England U21 squad 'strongest' he's had
Friday 7 September 2018 14:07, UK
Aidy Boothroyd thinks the current England U21 squad is the strongest he has ever had at his disposal.
England U21s were held to a goalless draw by the Netherlands at Carrow Road on Thursday night, a result that guaranteed Boothroyd's side top spot in their Euro 2019 qualifying group.
And Boothroyd, who has been managing the team for the past two years now, is predicting a bright future for the youngsters.
"When I look at the U21 squad, it is probably the strongest one I have ever had, which is good in many ways," he said.
"But it also gives you a bit of a problem as they all have a right to say I should be in the team. And that is up to me and the staff to be able to manage that.
"But I am confident we will go and give a good performance and providing we can continue getting better through the year, that will suit me.
"I was quite pleased to turn round and look at the bench and see Dominic Solanke and Tammy Abraham there just to give the two other boys - Dominic [Calvert-Lewin] and James [Maddison] - a breather."
Despite the home side missing a number of openings against the Dutch, Boothroyd was unconcerned as he looked ahead to next summer's Euros in Italy.
"And we did create chances, but just could not take that final last little step that gets the goal," he said.
"So no I think we are fine in terms of creating chances, I would not worry too much about that."
