Uwakwe, Adeniran & Bennetts Omitted As England Announce Roster For U19 EURO

Published: July 16, 2018

No player of Nigerian descent will represent defending champions England at the 2018 UEFA European U19 Championship, with manager Paul Simpson omitting at least three age-eligible players from the roster announced on Monday morning.

Everton central midfielder Dennis Adeniran earned the last of his three international caps at that level against Bulgaria in November 2017 and it's not surprising that he has not been called up for the Euros.

Another London born player of Nigerian descent, Chelsea midfielder Tariq Uwakwe, has not played for the Young Lions since September 2017 and has not been named in the traveling party to Finland.

In-form Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Keanan Bennetts was not selected due to club commitments as he is training with the first team ahead of the new season following his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City's whizkid Lukas Nmecha netted in the semifinal and final of the 2017 U19 EURO, and was named in the starting eleven, along with Fulham's Tayo Edun, for the showpiece game vs Portugal.

England will qualify for the 2019 Fifa U20 World Cup if they finish among the top five teams of the U19 EURO.

They will face Turkey, France and Ukraine in the group stage of the competition which begins in Finland today and ends on July 29, 2018.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

Photo Credit: chelseafc.com