Coach Paul Simpson has named his England Under-20s squad for their forthcoming mini-tournament in France.
Ryan Ledson, back in the fold for the first time since September, will miss United's games against Bolton Wanderers, Northampton Town and Bury, although he is available when the U's take on Scunthorpe this Saturday and he will return in time for the Checkatrade Trophy final against Coventry City on Sunday 2nd April.
The Young Lions are set to take on Portugal, France and Senegal over a seven-day period as preparations for the summer’s FIFA Under-20 World Cup intensify. Their first game comes on Thursday 23rd March, when they take on the Portuguese. They face the host nation two days later, on Saturday 25th March, while the final game, against Senegal, will be on Tuesday 28th March.
With the chance to play three other nations set to join them at the World Cup in Korea this summer, Simpson is eagerly anticipating a week of discovery, and he takes charge of the team for the first time.
He added: “All four teams are in the Finals and we’re trying to replicate the World Cup format, in terms of the time between days and travelling away as a group.”
“We want to develop players all the time and we want them to have a winning mentality as well, to get into the habit of winning games consistently.
“But winning will not be the be all and end all in France, it’s about assessing the dynamic between the players, and also between the players and the staff.”
The full England U20 squad is as follows:
Freddie Woodman (Kilmarnock, on loan from Newcastle United), Dean Henderson (Manchester United), Luke Southwood (Reading), Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham Hotspur), Jonjoe Kenny (Everton), Callum Connolly (Wigan, on loan from Everton), Rico Henry (Brentford), Ezri Konsa Ngoyo (Charlton), Axel Tuanzebe (Manchester United), Dael Fry (Middlesbrough), Fikayo Tomori (Brighton & Hove Albion, on loan from Chelsea), Jake Clarke-Salter (Chelsea), Lewis Cook (Bournemouth), Ryan Ledson (Oxford), Joshua Onomah (Tottenham Hotspur), Ainsley Maitland Niles (Arsenal), Kieran Dowell (Everton), Ademola Lookman (Everton), Patrick Roberts (Celtic, on loan at Manchester City), Dominic Solanke (Chelsea), Adam Armstrong (Barnsley, on loan from Newcastle United), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton)