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Lee Carsley is back in his role as England Under-21 head coach and his strong Young Lions squad take on France tonight. Carsley took charge of the first team on an interim basis last year before Thomas Tuchel was confirmed to be Gareth Southgate’s successor. He’s now returned to the youth set-up, naming a high-quality team that features plenty of the Premier League’s best young talent. England’s meeting with France is the first of two friendlies organised for this international break, with a clash against Portugal coming up next week. There’s no doubt that this Young Lions side are going to be exciting to watch and fans are going to be able to do so for free. This international friendly will take place on Friday, March 21. Kick-off at Stade du Moustoir-Yves Allainmat in Lorient, France is scheduled for 8pm. Fans will be able to watch the action for FREE on the England You Tube channel here. talk SPORT and talk SPORT. com will also keep you up to date with the latest. To tune in to talk SPORT through the website, click HERE for the live stream. Listen via the talk SPORT app here, or on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM. Visit talk SPORT BET for all the latest odds and bet boosts. England’s U21 squad is worth over £400million in total, according to Transfermarkt. It features Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri who received his first call-up to the Young Lions for his performances in a breakout season. Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens has been among three withdrawals, alongside Birmingham City striker Jay Stansfield, and Sunderland defender Dennis Cirkin - with Southampton defender Ronnie Edwards earning his maiden call-up instead. Manchester City youngster Rico Lewis and Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite are among the headline options for Carsley to use. Adam Wharton, who went to Euro 2024 with the senior team, is back in the U21 set-up, joining Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott. Jude Bellingham’s brother Jobe, Archie Gray, Liam Delap and James Mc Atee are also among the incredible amount of talent on show. Below is the England U21 squad in full: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Nwaneri will thrive in his England U21 debut, working under the Spaniard’s ex-Everton teammate Carsley. Arteta said: “It’s a big step. He’s 17 years old and he’s playing with the under-21s with all the names that they have in the team. “I spoke to Lee this morning and I’m glad that he’s his coach because I’ve known him very well since we played together for many years. “It’s a great pathway and development for him and a great experience for him. “Lee just said that he was going to select him and I know him. He’s a phenomenal coach and person - unique. “So I know he’s going to look after him and push him in the right way. He’s going to hear a different coach with different ideas and this is always so good for a young player. ” © 2025 talk SPORT Limited
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