Everton youngsters lead England U-21 squad once again

There is perhaps no greater indicator of the recent successes of Everton’s academy than the fact that young Blues have dominated England youth sides of late. That trend is set to continue for the upcoming Toulon Tournament in France, with three members of the club named to Aidy Boothroyd’s U-21 side. Only Chelsea is sending more representatives (four).

Tom Davies, Kieran Dowell, and Jonjoe Kenny have been named to the team, and given their status with their senior sides, look set to play major roles in southern France.

Davies, still just 19, played 2,484 minutes for Everton this season, logging 2 goals and 2 assists. Kenny, 21, deputized extremely well for Seamus Coleman during the early parts of the season, registering 2,377 minutes across all competitions with three assists.

Elsewhere, Dowell was perhaps the most impressive of the trio. The 20 year old was a major part of Nottingham Forest’s Championship campaign, which saw him play 3,077 minutes over 43 appearances. Dowell notched an impressive 10 goals and 5 assists before appearing to succumb to fatigue late in the year. He’ll be looking to break into the Everton first team during the coming preseason, and deserves a shot.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Mason Holgate have been key cogs in the England set up in the past, but are both dealing with some end-of-season fitness issues that likely excluded them from consideration.

Here is the England U-21 squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Aaron Ramsdale (AFC Bournemouth), Freddie Woodman (Newcastle United)

Defenders: Jake Clarke-Salter (Chelsea), Jay Dasilva (Chelsea), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Jonjoe Kenny (Everton), Ezri Konsa (Charlton Athletic), Tom Pearce (Leeds United), Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea), Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham Hotspur)

Midfielders: Harvey Barnes (Leicester City), Lewis Cook (AFC Bournemouth), Tom Davies (Everton), Kieran Dowell (Everton), Ovie Ejaria (Liverpool), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)

Forwards: Tammy Abraham (Chelsea), Adam Armstrong (Newcastle United), Edward Nketiah (Arsenal), Lukas Nmecha (Manchester City)