Norwich City wingers Nathan Redmond and Josh Murphy prepare for further England youth duty
England U21 Manager Gareth Southgate (centre) talks with Nathan Redmond during training at St George's Park, Burton Upon Trent. Picture: Nick Potts/PA - Credit: PA Wire/Press Association Images
Preparation for the European Under-21 Championships continue for England in France tonight – with defender Carl Jenkinson making it clear the Young Lions are full of confidence.
The Arsenal defender was on the scoresheet on Thursday night as England beat Portugal 3-1 in a friendly at Turf Moor, with Burnley striker Danny Ings scoring the other two on his home patch.
Norwich City winger Nathan Redmond took the man-of-the-match award after being involved in the creation of all three goals and could be in action again during tonight's friendly in Brest.
And with Gareth Southgate's side already having qualified for next summer's tournament, in the Czech Republic, Jenkinson has high hopes that the current squad can be more successful than England's poor efforts at the Euro U21 Finals in 2011 and 2013.
'We've got a fantastic team here and there is a lot of belief,' said Jenkinson, who has also represented Finland at U19 level due to his mother's nationality, when speaking to thefa.com
'There is a real togetherness and the spirit in the squad is something I haven't experienced at international level before.
'That is a really positive sign and we are really confident that we can do well and obviously we don't want to get carried away, but I think people will see from Thursday night that we've got a good chance in the summer.'
The U21s match against France kicks off at 8pm and is being broadcast live on BT Sport.
• Norwich City winger Josh Murphy could be in action for England U20s today, in a friendly against Portugal in Coimbra (2.30pm kick-off).
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Murphy earned his second U20s cap on Wednesday night, playing the final 30 minutes of a 2-2 draw with Canada.
Related links
Norwich City winger Nathan Redmond stars for England U21s against Portugal