Let youngsters train with senior squad

IF Gareth Southgate wants to build on the U17s’ achievement, he should give our brightest young talents like Phil Foden the opportunity to train with the senior England squad at this summer’s World Cup. Southgate will remember Euro 96 when, as teenagers, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand took part in training sessions. This has been such a successful year for our junior sides. Why not invite the best player from each of the England age groups to accompany the squad to Russia so they can experience the pressures of a major tournament? Foden is a perfect specimen of modern youth football. He is very skilful, an intelligent passer and has great feet. Already, he is benefiting from being around some of the world’s best players at Manchester City. Every day he will be gleaning as much as he can from Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva. I know just how much confidence this World Cup victory will have given our U17s. I played at every level with England from the age of 15 but it was only when I won the Toulon Tournament with the U21s in 1993 that I felt that I had arrived. When I returned to Liverpool, I believed I could be as good as anyone. The key for the current crop is to be patient as there is every chance some of them will enjoy careers at the top. Foden may well feel frustrated that opportunities will be limited at City but this is just the start. Now he has to prove himself to Pep Guardiola and force his way into the first-team squad.