England Under-21s manager Aidy Boothroyd has admitted that Callum Hudson-Odoi is unlucky to not make Gareth Southgate's senior squad after a good run of form under Thomas Tuchel in recent weeks.
The 20-year-old is among the star players for the Young Lions ahead of their U21 European Championship campaign that begins in March.
Having been a fringe player under Frank Lampard, Hudson-Odoi has been involved in 11 of Tuchel's first 12 games in charge. It has coincided with a 12-game unbeaten run for the Blues and Boothroyd admits that the forward could have made the senior squad.
What Boothroyd said?
“I think so (that he is unlucky),” Boothroyd told reporters ahead of the international break. “Not only that, but one or two players on our standby list for this particular squad can consider themselves unlucky.
“That’s good for me because the quality of the players is so high. But that’s all part of sport and life. You get an opportunity; you take it, things don’t work out, you come back down, you’ve got to get back on your bike and go again.
“Callum has certainly done that; we’re expecting Mason [Greenwood] to do that and anybody else who goes up to the senior team and comes back to us.
“There’s an expectation from us that is exactly the same as the senior team and all the pathways. We want you to be the best you can be and dealing with disappointment is part of that.
“There are ups and downs for these young guys and that is part of what we do, to offer them an environment where they can relax a little bit and show what they’ve got.
“But if they’re not with us in terms of how we want to do that and what’s expected, then they don’t last very long. But those that do tend to get back into the seniors and do very well.”
Who else is in Boothroyd's squad?
Tottenham duo Ryan Sessegnon, who is on loan at Hoffenheim, and Japhet Tanganga are amongst the group. There are also two Chelsea loanees amongst the group, with Conor Gallagher and Marc Guehi called up from West Brom and Swansea City respectively.
The senior squad will be announced on Thursday afternoon with Dortmund's Jude Bellingham and Chelsea's Reece James likely to be among the group, even though they are eligible for the U21s.
Further reading
- Hudson-Odoi and Greenwood named in England squad for U21 European Championships
- Greenwood's inclusion in England's Under-21 squad explained by Boothroyd
- Musiala's decision to choose Germany over England accepted by Under-21s coach Boothroyd
