England U21s manager Andy Boothroyd has come under fire after the Young Lions suffered their second defeat already in the group stages of the 2021 Under 21 European Championships at the hands of Portugal, just three days after losing to Switzerland.
There is a chance for England to salvage a place in the Quarter-Finals if they beat Croatia on Wednesday, but they must also hope Portugal beat Switzerland and that Boothroyd’s side have the best head-to-head record which will probably come down to goal difference.
If there is any positive to be taken out of the campaign, it is the performances of Tottenham youngster Oliver Skipp who has been fantastic in midfield, standing out among a number of players who look sluggish and like they are lacking confidence.
The defensive midfielder, currently on-loan at Norwich City, still needs to do more on the attacking side of things for England, but his defensive work has earned him plaudits during a dull time for the Young Lions.
Covering a huge amount of ground in midfield against both Switzerland and Portugal as well as making plenty of tackles and interceptions, it would be understandable if he was rested on Wednesday, but it could be argued that the best eleven needs to be deployed against Croatia and Skipp would be one of the first names on that team-sheet.
https://twitter.com/thfclucas_2/status/1375099994982608908?s=20
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WATCH @England U21 & @NorwichCityFC midfielder Oliver Skipp ahead of European U21 Championship https://t.co/MbTUNZb1xy pic.twitter.com/WZ7N0cPcuA
— Ian Abrahams (Moose) (@BroadcastMoose) March 22, 2021
After some incredibly impressive displays for the Canaries in the Championship who look nailed on for promotion, Skipp will return at the end of the season and contribute towards the homegrown registration quota in the Premier League, allowing one of the likes of Ben Davies, Dele Alli or Harry Winks to potentially move on.
He is a very similar player to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but he is also well capable of getting beyond his man and delivering an inch-perfect pass in the final third – as we have seen before at youth level for England.
Spurs fans are hoping he can start alongside the Dane with Tanguy Ndombele just in front, but the more likely scenario is he will be battling Hojbjerg for that place and Giovani Lo Celso or a new signing like potentially Marcel Sabitzer would complete that midfield three.
The 20-year-old has made 38 appearances so far in the Championship with Norwich, scoring once and assisting once too ,almost near identical stats to Hojbjerg who has also scored once but has assisted three times too in nine less appearances – but stats don’t tell the whole story as Skipp has become a fan favourite in Norfolk and will surely become one in North London when he returns.