After England Under-21s lifted the UEFA European U21 Championship for a second consecutive time, we look at some of their players who could become part of the senior squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Another famous trophy win for England; well, for their under-21s.
Despite a fairly sluggish start to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia, England came good when it mattered to beat Spain, the Netherlands and Germany in the knockout stages and win the tournament for a second consecutive time.
Following up their success in 2023 with another victory in 2025, England became the first nation to win consecutive editions of the U21 Euros on multiple occasions, having also done so in 1982 and 1984.
Lee Carsley’s young Lions were made to work for it in the final, being pegged back to 2-2 by Germany having held a two-goal lead, but Jonathan Rowe’s header in extra-time was enough to seal the trophy.
Success at this level is far from the end, though; it should really be just the beginning.
The pathway for England’s young players looks promising, but now these players must push on and make an impact in the senior side. With a World Cup next summer, now is the perfect time for them to stake their claim.
So, we’ve taken a look at six players from England’s successful U21 side who could force their way into Thomas Tuchel’s plans in 2026.
Harvey Elliott
It’s not exactly a stretch to say that the Player of the Tournament could have a chance of a senior call up before long.
Harvey Elliott scored five goals at the 2025 U21 European Championship, with only Germany’s Nick Woltemade scoring more, and it included the Liverpool youngster finding the net in each of the quarter-finals, semi-finals (twice) and final.
Elliott went into the tournament off the back of a season that saw him win the Premier League, but it was ultimately a frustrating one for him as he played just 360 minutes in the league in 2024-25 for Liverpool, significantly fewer than in 2022-23 (1,612 mins) and 2023-24 (1,337 mins).
A boyhood Liverpool fan, it would be difficult for Elliott to leave Anfield but with the English giants adding Florian Wirtz to their ranks in recent weeks, he may have to in order to play the football necessary to convince Tuchel he deserves a chance in the senior side.
He didn’t just provide goals in Slovakia. Elliott recorded the most attacking sequence involvements per 90 minutes in the tournament for England (6.6, minimum 180 mins played), while off the ball he also impressed. No one won possession in the opposition’s final third more often than Elliott (7), while only six players won possession more often than him (24) overall.
Links have emerged with the likes of Brighton, West Ham, RB Leipzig and Fiorentina, and should Elliott get regular football next season, he could sneak into Tuchel’s thoughts as either a 10 or right-sided attacker.
The player still has plenty of room to grow, and has proven he can step up in big tournament games. It would in fairness be a big ask given the talent England already have to choose from in those areas, but if some of them suffer a dip in form or get injured, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Elliott at least in the initial squad.
Tino Livramento
With Kyle Walker’s position as England’s starting right-back surely now under immense threat, Tino Livramento did his audition no harm as he starred for England U21s this summer.
Walker struggled significantly in England’s senior team’s most recent match against Senegal, and there were some who doubted the fact he’d been recalled by Tuchel for the games against Andorra and Senegal in the first place. The calls to find a new heir to the right-back spot are only getting louder.
Livramento, who can also cover at left-back, is a dynamic, athletic full-back with the stamina to patrol the touchline all game. He played more minutes than any other full-back at the U21 Euros and completed the full match (including extra-time in the final) in all five games he started.
In the Premier League last season, only four full-backs carried the ball further on average than Livramento’s 12.7 metres per carry, and he made more overlapping runs (79) than any other full-back. In fact, a whopping 11.5% of his overall runs were classified as overlaps, second only to Lewis Hall on the opposite side of him (11.8%) among all full-backs in the division.
His creativity in the final third is still developing, but he showed sublime technical skill to beat his man down the left and cross for Jonathan Rowe’s tap-in against Czechia in England’s opening group game.
Livramento’s rise has reportedly made him Manchester City’s top target to fill their right-back vacancy, which is a clear sign of how highly he’s now rated.
Carsley, who’s led England to back-to-back European Championship wins at Under-21 level, was the one who gave Livramento his first – and so far only – senior cap, starting the Newcastle man at right-back against the Republic of Ireland in the Nations League. It surely won’t be his last.
Elliott Anderson
After a season in which he shone with Nottingham Forest, it was not a surprise to see Elliot Anderson continue that form with England U21s this summer.
Following his big-money move from Newcastle United last year, Anderson became a vital part of Forest’s largely impressive 2024-25, and while the campaign may not have ended brilliantly for them, qualifying for Europe was still a massive result.
Only Moisés Caicedo (229) and Bruno Fernandes (213) won possession more often in the Premier League than Anderson (207) last season, while only seven players made more than his 92 tackles. He was also effective on the ball, with only Callum Hudson-Odoi (37) completing more dribbles for Nottingham Forest than Anderson (36), while only three teammates created more than his 22 chances from open play.
That form carried on into the Under-21 European Championship, with only four players in the whole tournament creating more chances from open play than Anderson (8) while off the ball, only Germany’s Rocco Reitz (37) won possession more often than him (29).
He had to have his minutes managed, with Carsley suggesting it was the best way of keeping him fresh after a long season in which he made 37 league appearances. Anderson didn’t play the full 90 in any of the first four games in Slovakia, while he started on the bench for the quarter-final with Spain.
However, he came back in for the semi against the Netherlands and dominated the midfield, before another strong showing in the final.
Anderson is somewhat similar in style to Declan Rice, but could conceivably be someone who dovetails with the Arsenal star in England’s midfield, with that role being somewhat of a problem area in recent years. The Forest man could be the likeliest of this entire list to be on the plane with the senior team next summer.
Jarell Quansah
Jarell Quansah may not be coming off his best season at Liverpool, but he is young, has already received senior call-ups, and is now set to move somewhere he will surely play regular football.
The 22-year-old is on the verge of a move to Bayer Leverkusen for what will likely be a record fee for the Bundesliga club. You would therefore be quite confident that Quansah will play regularly at the BayArena under new boss Erik ten Hag.
Going abroad has sometimes been seen as a problem for English players wanting to be selected for their national team, but in Quansah’s case, it could work in his favour. Away from the ever-critical gaze on the Premier League, he can grow and learn in the slightly lower pressure environment of Germany, where you will also fancy Tuchel will keep a keen eye on him.
He was impressive in Slovakia, especially in the final as England kept a very good and dynamic Germany side at bay after being pegged back to 2-2. Some of the headers won and tackles made by Quansah and his centre-back partner Charlie Cresswell were outstanding in Bratislava.
Overall, Quansah won nine of 12 aerial duels (75%) at the tournament, but his value on the ball was also evident. Of all players, only teammate Omari Hutchinson (36) made more long progressive carries – advancing with the ball at least 10 metres – than his 33, which was at least nine more than anyone else. One such incident saw him run from the halfway line to have a shot from range against Spain in the quarter-finals, which was spilled by the goalkeeper for Elliott to score from the rebound.
Quansah could also benefit from a relative lack of competition at centre-back. There is talent available for sure, but it is not an area where England are overrun with options and they have struggled to find a regular centre-back pairing since Harry Maguire and John Stones.
Jack Hinshelwood
Jack Hinshelwood has looked at Livramento’s versatility and said, “hold my beer.”
A quick glance at his positional map from last season shows he played in a number of different areas for Brighton under Fabian Hürzeler.
That utility makes someone like Hinshelwood an attractive squad option for a gruelling summer tournament, especially given the 2026 World Cup will be the biggest it’s ever been.
At the U21 Euros, Hinshelwood, primarily a central midfielder, was deployed at both left-back and right-back by Lee Carsley. He started – and excelled – out of position at left-back in all of England’s knockout games.
The 20-year-old has made huge strides over the last two seasons, first under Roberto De Zerbi and then under Hürzeler. Last season, he played 26 matches in the Premier League for Brighton, scoring five goals. Three of those came in the last week of the campaign where Hinshelwood came off the bench to score the winner in a 3-2 victory over Liverpool, before netting twice as a centre forward in Brighton’s 4-1 win at Spurs on the final day of the season.
His ability to cover right-back, left-back, central midfield and false nine could make him a surprise pick for next summer’s England World Cup squad.
Ethan Nwaneri
Ethan Nwaneri’s inclusion here isn’t really about his impact at the U21 Euros.
Rather, it’s under the assumption that a player as talented as he is simply won’t go the full 2025-26 season without forcing his way into Tuchel’s thoughts for the 2026 World Cup.
Nwaneri featured in all six of England’s games on their path to U21 Euros glory, though four of those appearances came from the bench. The two matches he did start – against Slovenia and Germany – were the only games England failed to win in the tournament.
But it’s his club form that could see him force his way into Tuchel’s World Cup plans, possibly as a spectacular option off the bench should England need a spark.
Having made just one appearance in each of the two seasons prior, Nwaneri enjoyed a breakout season for Arsenal in 2024-25, thrust into a starting role due to the injury that kept Bukayo Saka for around three months. And it felt like he belonged.
The Arsenal teenager made 37 appearances in all competitions (16 starts), contributing 11 goals and assists combined. Across Europe’s top five leagues, he was the second youngest player to hit 10+ goal involvements last season, with only Lamine Yamal hitting double figures at a younger age (with a frankly outrageous 39 goal involvements).
A dangerous threat off the right when cutting inside, Nwaneri was involved in 5.7 attacking sequences that ended in a shot per 90 for Arsenal last season – third behind only first-team stars Saka and Martin Ødegaard. What’s more, he scored his goals at a rate of 0.59 per 90 minutes in all competition – by far the best figure of any Arsenal player. Put simply, when he was on the pitch, he was a constant threat.
Nwaneri was also shortlisted for the PFA Young Player of the Year. He’ll only be 18 for the first half of the 2025-26 season, but his time is coming. If his rise continues, he could be on that World Cup plane next summer.
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