Shoretire, Anjorin, 10 Other Nigeria-eligible Players Get England Invites

The English Football Association announced the Young Lions rosters  yesterday ahead of international matches later this month, with 12 Nigeria-eligible players getting invites.

Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun and PSV winger Nonso Madueke have been selected for the England U21 squad for their European Championship qualifiers against Andorra at Bournemouth on March 25 and in Albania the following Tuesday.

The two players already have competitive caps for England at U21 level, with Balogun making his debut against Kosovo in September while Madueke debuted at the U21 EURO back in March 2021.

Chelsea-owned attacking midfielder Faustino Anjorin and West Ham U23 skipper Ajibola Alese have received call-ups to the England U20 squad for matches with Poland and Germany.

England U20s will tackle Poland at the Stadion Miejski Bielsko-Biała on March 25 and four days later face Germany at Colchester United’s Jobserve Community Stadium.

Five players of Nigerian descent in the shape of Tim Iroegbunam, Carney Chukwuemeka (both Aston Villa), Tobi Oluwayemi (Celtic), Daniel Oyegoke (Brentford), and Sam Edozie (Manchester City) have been named in the England U19 squad.

The five players will link up with the Young Lions for crucial U19 EURO qualifiers against Republic of Ireland (March 23), Armenia (March 26) and Portugal (March 29).

Iroegbunam has earned his first U19s call-up following his progression into Aston Villa’s first team this season.

Shola Shoretire has surprisingly been named in England U18 squad for their friendly matches with Sweden and Denmark in Marbella on March 25 and March 28 respectively.

The talented Manchester United winger has four caps for England at U19 level.

Habeeb Ogunneye and Tudor-Mendel-Idowu have been included in the England U17 squad for U17 EURO qualifiers against France (March 26) and Luxembourg (March 29).