Young Lions Watch: Aston Villa starlets look to claim Under-19s Euros glory
Aston Villa’s Young Lions have one last hurdle to overcome in their hunt for Under-19s European Championship glory.
Ian Foster’s side face Israel in the final on Friday (1 July) after coming back from a goal down to beat Italy in the semi-final.
All three of Villa’s representatives in the England squad started in the win on Tuesday (28 June), though only one would finish it.
Carney Chukwuemeka starred in midfield next to Tim Iroegbunam while Aaron Ramsey made a surprise start on the left wing.
Both Chukwuemeka and Ramsey had their chances to score during the game, with both players forcing saves from the Italy goalkeeper.
Who will start against Israel?
England have already played Israel this tournament, securing a narrow 1-0 win over them in their group closer.
Foster fielded a rotated team for that game and England never left second gear, but that will not be the case for the final.
Chukwuemeka has started every game of the tournament so far and captained the side in the first fixture against Israel, making him certain to start.
While the maestro has quietened down since grabbing two goals and two assists in England’s first two fixtures, he has still emerged as a leading light in the team.
Iroegbunam is England’s first choice in midfield and has only failed to start once, being rotated out for the previous match against Israel.
Despite a shaky start to the semi-final victory, where he gave away a free kick that was nearly converted, Iroegbunam has had a solid tournament and is sure to start again.
While he did make an unexpected start against Italy, it is difficult to see Ramsey keeping his place for the final.
He has been deeply unlucky not to have at least one goal this tournament after having shots hit the post and cleared off the line, but it likely won’t be enough for him to start.
Ramsey was substituted for Borussia Dortmund star Jamie Bynoe-Gittens against Italy, who will likely start for the final.
This is dependent on Bynoe-Gittens’ fitness as he was subbed off himself 20 minutes after coming on.
Regardless of the result, it has already been a great tournament for Aston Villa’s stars and it will give them a huge boost going into next season.
In other Aston Villa news, Steven Gerrard is chasing Liverpool’s Joe Gomez according to reports.