Lee Carsley urges England U-21 to play with ‘belief and confidence’ at Euros

Returning boss Lee Carsley wants England Under-21s to play with belief and confidence next summer as they attempt to retain their European Championship crown in Slovakia.

The Young Lions were crowned European champions for the first time in 39 years after ending an impressive tournament by beating Spain 1-0 to win the 2023 edition in Georgia.

Carsley oversaw that triumph and will lead England into next summer’s finals having returned to the Under-21s post after taking charge of the senior team on an interim basis during the autumn.

The 50-year-old handed over to new boss Thomas Tuchel on the back of promotion to the Nations League top tier and was in Slovakia on Tuesday as the Under-21s learned their Euros draw.

England have been drawn in Group B and open against the Czech Republic on June 12 in Dunajska Streda, before heading to Nitra for games against Slovenia on June 15 and Germany on June 18.

“They’re teams that we’ve played before, so we know a lot about them,” Under-21s boss Carsley said.

“All good teams. We know how difficult it is going to be so it’s a tournament that we’re really looking forward to now.”

Asked about the prospects of retaining the title, Carsley told UEFA: “I think it’s important that they play with the same confidence and belief that they played with in the last tournament.

“We have to remember how young they are, so we have to make sure that we support them and give them the opportunity. But they’ll be excited about the tournament coming up.”