No kidding.. the U-21s is tough gig, says Coop

STEVE COOPER has ruled himself out of the England Under-21 job and agrees with current boss Aidy Boothroyd that gigs don’t come much tougher.

Boothroyd labelled it “the impossible job” before his team crashed out of the European Championship finals.

Swansea City head coach Cooper – who won the World Cup with the England Under17s – is in the frame to replace Boothroyd, but insists he wants to stay in club football.

Cooper said: “I had a good time working with England and I got to work with some top players, but that ship has now sailed.”

Boothroyd could go down with his own sinking vessel now that the Young Lions have failed to find safe passage to the knockout stages the second time under his charge.

The former Watford boss claimed the demands for results, and the pressure of supplying Gareth Southgate’s senior side, means any Under-21 boss is up against it.

Cooper (right) agrees and said: “You have to win because it carries you to the next stage and gives you another experience.

“But at the same time you have to try to

develop a certain style of play for young players. With the U-17 team, we experienced all-or-nothing games and penalty shoot-outs.

“Getting to the latter stages of a tournament can mean being away for four or five weeks and you only get those experiences by staying in the tournament.”

Cooper lifted the World Cup with his U-17 squad four years ago with a team that included Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-odoi – who have graduated to the senior

England squad. They also had

Rhian Brewster, Marc Guehi,

Conor Gallagher, Joel

Latibeaudiere and Morgan

Gibbs-white, who have all played for Coop‘s Swansea.