Iling-Junior ‘4/10’, Aston Villa man torn to shreds in England U21 loss v Germany
Samuel Iling-Junior hasn’t done himself any favours at Aston Villa with his performance for England under-21s.
The 21-year-old started in the final group game of the youth edition of the EUROs as the Three Lions faced off against old rivals Germany on Wednesday (18 June).
A second win of the tournament didn’t come through for Lee Cardley’s side as Die Mannschaft secured a 2-1 win.
It is fair to say that Iling-Junior drew a fair share of criticism for his performance as part of the result, which subjected England to a second-place group stage finish.
Iling-Junior shocker for England U21 showing v Germany
There has been plenty of discourse surrounding the versatile wide man since he signed from Juventus alongside Enzo Barrenechea.
The Argentine was instantly loaned out to Valencia, while the Englishman joined Bologna before swapping the Serie A for Championship side Middlesbrough.
A string of positive performances under Michael Carrick saw the Villa loanee earn a place in the U21s squad for the European Championships.
As positive as this call-up was for him, this has resulted in just one start and a grand total of 57 minutes in Slovakia this summer.
His one and only start came against Germany, but it is fair to say that the left-back failed to impress, earning a 4/10 rating from Goal.com (18 June).
The online outlet were far from complimentary about the Villa man, describing him as a “weak link” before he was “hooked at half time”.
| Stat v Germany U21 | Samuel Iling-Junior |
| Minutes played | 45 |
| Accurate passes | 20 |
| Accurate crosses | 0 |
| Caught offside | 1 |
| Duels lost | 1 |
This doesn’t reflect well on the returning ace, who was described as “not necessarily poor by GiveMeSport, which isn’t exactly a glowing review.
With both of the Germans’ goals coming down Iling-Junior’s side of the pitch, BBC Sport picked him out as “struggling” for the Three Lions.
Iling-Junior has point to prove at Aston Villa
There are a number of big-name stars returning from loan deals away from Aston Villa this summer, none more so than Emi Buendia.
With that being said, there is plenty of excitement surrounding Iling-Junior, who could represent positive competition in the left-back role.
This is especially the case with Lucas Digne potentially set to leave, as interest from abroad continues to grow in the France international.
Although that might be the case, the Englishman has some work to do before earning a spot in the Villa side, especially after such a poor showing for his country.
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