Ben Godfrey (Everton), Tom Davies (Everton) and Curtis Jones (Liverpool) have been recruited for the UEFA U21 European Championship finals group stage next week.
Former Reds’ youth player Rhian Brewster also features as part of a strong set-up.
Aidy Boothroyd will lead his young stars to face Croatia, Portugal and Switzerland in their group in Slovenia.
16 nations will be involved between 24-31 March. Four table-toppers qualify along with four runners up for the knockout phase.
England qualified with ease having been unbeaten last November.
“I’m excited by this group – not just in their ability but also their togetherness”, said Boothroyd after the squad announcement.
He added: “We want to win every time we play and will do all we can to reach the knockout stage”.
The U21’s have appeared in a record eight successive finals, but have only made it out of the group stage three times.
Boothroyd is aware of the challenge: “History tells us that this competition is about as competitive as it gets”.
All matches will be played behind closed doors. UEFA have yet to confirm whether the knockout phase will be open to fans.
The young lions will be aiming to become the first England side to lift the trophy in 37 years.
You can follow their journey with each match televised by Sky Sports.
(Image Ben Godfrey – pic under creative commons by Michael Button)
