The Young Lions are European Championship finalists once again, but which of their key players are on course for the senior setup?
England's Under-21s have done it again. Two years after the Young Lions downed Spain to win the European Championship in Georgia, Lee Carsley has guided the next generation to the final of the latest instalment in Slovakia.
Whatever happens in Saturday's showpiece, there will be members of the U21 group who are primed to make the step up to senior level when Thomas Tuchel announces his next squad in September, with no fewer than nine members of Carsley's 2023 contingent earning promotions since that triumph.
But who out of the class of 2025 is most likely to follow in the footsteps of Cole Palmer, Jarrad Branthwaite and Curtis Jones on the back of another successful Euros campaign? GOAL takes a look below…
Getty Images SportJames Beadle (Brighton)
Goalkeeper James Beadle has been England's No.1 at the European Championship having made the position his own in the lead-up to the tournament, starting every game in the run to a second consecutive final for the Young Lions and making some key saves, as well as impressing with his handling.
He is not necessarily set for a first-team breakthrough at Brighton, but another loan in the Championship following his time at Sheffield Wednesday could see the 20-year-old follow James Trafford's pathway into the senior England squad.
September will probably come too soon, but with planning surely under way for Jordan Pickford's succession as the Three Lions' No.1, there could be an opportunity for Beadle to sneak in as third choice in the not-too-distant future.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportJack Hinshelwood (Brighton)
Beadle's Brighton colleague, Jack Hinshelwood is already closing in on a half-century of appearances for the south coast club aged 21, and it's clear he is cut out for the highest level.
What's more, he is a manager's dream; nominally a midfielder, Hinshelwood can also operate in either full-back position and – such is the modern way – he is predictably adept at inverting given he is so comfortable in the middle of the park.
He would certainly fit Tuchel's preferred tactical setup, then, and could perhaps provide a Swiss Army Knife solution to England's dearth of options at left-back behind breakout talent Myles Lewis-Skelly.
GettyCharlie Cresswell (Toulouse)
A veteran of the Young Lions' European Championship triumph in 2023, centre-back Charlie Cresswell has been a stalwart of Carlsey's side this time around, impressing with his defensive work and scoring in the group phase against the Czech Republic.
The 22-year-old is probably closer to a senior call-up than many might realise; having taken a leap of faith by leaving boyhood club Leeds and joining Ligue 1's Toulouse in the summer of 2024 with just a handful of first-team appearances to his name, Cresswell has seriously impressed in France.
Indeed, he is already being linked with a move to the Premier League, as well as Serie A, and there is no doubt Tuchel will have an eye on him amid uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of England's central defence.
Getty Images SportAlex Scott (Bournemouth)
Former England manager (Sir) Gareth Southgate regularly lamented the country's inability to produce a deep-lying playmaker in the mould of, specifically, Luka Modric – but could Alex Scott be the long-term solution?
The Bournemouth man has shone at the Under-21 Euros in Slovakia despite playing with a broken jaw, demonstrating an aptitude for dictating the play from the base of midfield as well as getting forward to support attacks, assisting against Czechia and scoring himself against Germany.
He will be determined to get more minutes with the Cherries, but he certainly has the technical ability to compete with the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton to be that dynamic, creative force in the England senior side.