Sancho poised for Under-21s

Jadon Sancho is expected to be included in the England Under-21 squad for the first time this week as reward for the impressive start to his career at Borussia Dortmund.

It comes after the German club announced the 18-year-old had signed a contract extension until 2022, having left Manchester City in 2017 for £8million. Michael Zorc, Dortmund’s sporting director, described the winger as “one of the most exciting players in Europe”.

Aidy Boothroyd, the Under-21s head coach, had considered selecting Sancho for last month’s fixtures against Holland and Latvia but he had played only 17 minutes of firstteam football when the squads were announced. Sancho is yet to start a league game for Dortmund, but has claimed one goal and seven assists in just 124 minutes of football.

At the same time, an injury to Leicester City’s Demarai Gray has led to a vacancy in Boothroyd’s squad for the Euro 2019 qualifiers against Andorra and Scotland.

Boothroyd may also be without Leicester’s James Maddison, who is under consideration by Gareth Southgate for inclusion in the senior squad for the Nations League fixtures away to Croatia and Spain.

Meanwhile, Sol Campbell will join Boothroyd’s coaching set-up for the friendlies against Germany and Italy next month. The arrangement is an informal one and part of a Football Association initiative to give more BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) coaches experience of working with age groups within the international set-up.