Three young Sunderland players have received calls up to the England under-18 squad.
Prior to the forthcoming international break, Black Cats first team members Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham have both been called up to the England U19 squad, along with Sunderland loanee Matty Young.
The youthful custodian, who has a strong reputation on Wearside, was sent on loan to Salford City, a League Two team, in the summer transfer window in an attempt to gain more senior experience. As it is, though, Young’s possibilities with his new team are fairly restricted. He has made just three appearances, two of which were in the EFL Cup and one in the EFL Trophy.
Nevetherless, the talented stopper has been chosen in Will Antwi’s travelling party for a trio of matches against Portugal, France, and The Netherlands this month. Young has previously competed for the U19s; he made his debut in a 7-1 victory over Mexico in November of last year. Since then, he has been with the U18s.
As the U18s prepare to travel to Spain, where they will play Sweden and either the Netherlands or Ukraine, Chris Rigg, the sensation from Sunderland, will stay with the squad. The young player has been a standout performer for the Black Cats so far this season. He also played in all three of England’s games during the most recent international break.
Separately, Jobe Bellingham, a fellow midfield player with Rigg, has been called up to the England Elite League Squad (formerly known as the U20s). The 19-year-old has been a key player for Sunderland in the early going of the new season, scoring his first goal in Tuesday’s 2-0 victory over Derby County. During his tenure with the Young Lions, Bellingham would play against Italy and Czechia.
Jude, Jobe’s older brother and a seasoned player for England’s senior squad, expressed in a recent interview how he hopes to play with his brother for the Three Lions in the future. “To play with my brother for England would be the biggest dream of my life because we’re of similar age and we’ve played together for so long—in the street and on tufts of grass,” he remarked.
“That would mean more than all the trophies, especially if we could win things together and play at a major tournament consistently.” To be honest, nothing could even come close to that.
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