It spoke to England’s strengths at youth level when a Premier League winner and Euro 2024 squad member were among the players coming off the bench against Portugal on Monday night.
Manchester City’s Rico Lewis and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton both played the final 20 minutes of the 4-2 win, in which Ethan Nwaneri scored 10 minutes into his full U21 debut at The Hawthorns.
“We’ve got some extremely talented players,” said U21 boss Lee Carsley, who made nine changes from the 5-3 loss to France on Friday.
It made for a 7-7 scoreline across both friendlies in the final camp before the Young Lions head to Slovakia in June, when they will look to defend their European U21 Championship title.
In that same month England’s seniors are away to Andorra in a World Cup qualifier before playing Senegal in a friendly. While Carsley would ideally take his strongest squad to the U21 Euros, he admits he is at the behest of Tuchel, whom he communicates daily with over WhatsApp.
“I’m not sure we will [take our strongest squad],” Carsley said. “We’re there to service the senior team. We’ve got a good chance regardless of the squad we take.”
With that in mind, here are the changes Tuchel might make in June, and three further players who could yet push for the World Cup 2026 squad – assuming they’ll get there – after shining under Carsley, including Jude Bellingham’s younger brother Jobe.
In: Liam Delap, Out: Dominic Solanke
Life isn’t easy being Harry Kane’s England back-up. Well, it kind of is, as it largely requires watching from the sidelines.
Jamie Vardy seemingly got fed up of it, Ollie Watkins feasted on scraps at Euro 2024, while this month Dominic Solanke was an unused substitute against both Albania and Latvia, unable therefore to add to his three senior caps.
Pushing for his place will be Liam Delap. The Ipswich Town striker may well be needed by Carsley in Slovakia, but Tuchel could fancy a closer look at the 22-year-old, who trained with England’s senior players last week before scoring in the U21s friendly in France.
Right now Delap appears to be the successor to Kane, a mighty weight to carry, and after rubbing shoulders with the England captain there is a benefit to prolonging the overlap to ensure this master-apprentice dynamic is exploited.
“I had a little chat with him, he’s a really nice guy,” Delap said last week.
“I watched him enough in the shooting drill to take so much from him and he’s just incredible… it’s the best I’ve seen.”
In: Adam Wharton, Out: Aaron Ramsdale
The long-term, logical option is bringing Adam Wharton in for Jordan Henderson, but that may not be forthcoming. Tuchel has evidently taken a shine to the latter, speaking highly of the Ajax midfielder’s leadership qualities and pictured joking with him when the players arrived at St George’s Park.
Wharton’s return to the England senior fold can instead be smoothed by excluding Aaron Ramsdale, as opposed to Henderson or any other midfielder.
Tuchel surprisingly named four goalkeepers in his first squad, arguably as a way to scrutinise them in training – but with Ramsdale failing to make the matchday squads against Albania and Latvia, he is the fall guy that should make way for an outfield player in the future.
Wharton, like Delap with Kane, could learn from Henderson as the 21-year-old continues his claim to become Declan Rice’s England partner in midfield going forward.
In: Jarrad Branthwaite, Out: Dan Burn
There could be a three-way tussle in the summer for Lewis, who could be in contention for England’s U21s, the senior team, and for the Club World Cup.
Tuchel may therefore lay his eyes on Jarrad Branthwaite instead.
The Everton defender will have been disappointed to miss out on the German’s first squad, with Sky Sports reporting he is considering his Everton future as a result, but he cannot be far off from contention and could push for a recall at Dan Burn’s expense.
Burn was flavour of the month after his Carabao Cup final heroics, but struggled on his England debut against Albania and remained on the bench against Latvia.
The 32-year-old’s place in the squad is anything but assured, and once the love-in dies down Tuchel may actually realise it’s worth looking to the future instead.
That said, Tino Livramento and Jarell Quansah will also be feeling the heat. Quansah was left out of the matchday squad entirely on Friday and Livramento suffered that same fate on Monday.
Neither came on when they were on the bench either, and the 22-year-old pair remain eligible to play at the U21 Euros, handing Carsley further options should Tuchel opt to drop them.
What about Nwaneri?
Two factors come into play here: patience, and Bukayo Saka.
Firstly, Carsley beamed like a proud parent when reflecting on Nwaneri’s performance against Portugal, his face a picture when reminding the press huddle that the Arsenal star is only 18 – reaching that milestone on Friday.
“Unbelievable, ain’t it?” he added, with Carsley’s following point worth remembering, reiterating and then shouting from the rooftops.
“God what an impression he’s made,” Carsley added. “It’s important we look after him and make sure that, going to the tournament in the summer, is that the right thing. Obviously we’ll speak with Arsenal and make sure we’re on the same page.”
Speaking of brilliant goals… 💫
Our U21 #YoungLions lead Portugal 2-1, with the second courtesy of a stunning strike from Ethan Nwaneri 🤩 pic.twitter.com/eDsfoDnLxA
— England (@England) March 24, 2025
Nwaneri cut through the Portuguese defence with ease before curling a fine effort into the far corner 10 minutes into his full debut for the U21s, and after a brief cameo against France on his birthday last week, this was a statement from the player many felt could have joined Arsenal teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly in Tuchel’s squad.
The return of Saka could put the brakes on Nwaneri’s development, and with Carsley more familiar with the England pathway than most, it is worth preaching patience and leaving him in these capable hands.
That would give Nwaneri a chance to play a major youth tournament – far more exciting than a qualifier in Andorra.
Take note, Tuchel: other contenders for 2026
Omari Hutchinson was the standout performer against Portugal on Monday night, scoring England’s third, and the Ipswich Town winger went on to reveal Carsley has challenged the players to push for a place in Tuchel’s 2026 World Cup squad.
The emergence of Lewis-Skelly was referenced by Hutchinson as an inspiration, proof a lot can change in football over the course of a few months.
Hutchinson has a steely drive in his eyes to match the swagger he showed with his feet, and assuming Ipswich go down he faces a tough decision this summer, having signed from Chelsea for a club record fee last year.
A season in the Championship is unlikely to lift his World Cup prospects, while Ipswich will probably play hard-ball on a player who signed a five-year deal when joining.
Nevertheless, he will have caught Tuchel’s eye, once the German finds time to watch this match back, while Jobe Bellingham and Archie Gray could have made an impression too.
The Bellingham name carries weight, so much so that Jobe goes with his forename on the back of his shirt at club and international level. Though he is keen to forge his own legacy, he clearly shares traits with brother Jude.
He looked confident and assured in the heart of the U21 midfield, and was singled out for praise by Carsley. The Sunderland 19-year-old is therefore on the right path to one-day make the step up.
The same applies to Gray, Tottenham’s 19-year-old defender. In a largely dismal season for Spurs, Gray has not done his reputation any harm, and even when surrounded by players a few years older than him in the U21 set-up, he does not look out of place at all. If anything, he is among the crop that should be in Tuchel’s thoughts.
