James Tomkins and Freddie Sears are set to compete at the European Under-19 Championship in the Czech Republic this July after helping England qualify on Saturday.
The West Ham United duo played key roles as the Young Lions secured a 0-0 draw and the point they needed to progress against Elite round mini-tournament hosts Belarus, having already won 2-0 and 1-0 against Serbia and Poland respectively in the other two Group 1 fixtures earlier this week. The finals will be held between 14 and 26 July and, as well as the hosting Czechs, will also feature Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain - the defending champions.
England could feasibly call upon two other United players with both 17-year-old Jordan Spence, the current U18 captain, and attacking midfielder Junior Stanislas also having been capped at this level. Both missed out on Brian Eastick's selection for this final qualifying round but could yet be in contention later this summer. Sears and Tomkins more than played their part in this stage with Sears scoring both goals in the first victory and Tomkins helping to secure three successive clean sheets. Another possible player on view at the finals could be 18-year-old goalkeeper Marek Stech, who may be selected by the Czech Republic.