'That England No2 shirt is mine and I'll fight to keep it'

Selfishness is not a trait of James Yates' character, but when it comes to his England shirt, he is intent in looking after No1 and No2.

The Everton right-back has started all eight matches of the Young Lions' European Under-17 Championship campaign, six in qualifying plus the victory over Italy and draw with Holland in Bulgaria.

His ever-present record is a source of great pride for the Liverpool-born youngster, as is his treasured No2 shirt, and he has no plans to give up either any-time soon.

"I'm quite proud of being an ever-present to be honest, and my family are too. I've had a good run but I feel I've earned it. And it's not over yet, I want it to continue right through to the final," he told TheFA.com.

"I do look at the No2 shirt and feel it's my property. It's mine to lose, I've wore it for all of the Euro campaign and I'd like to keep it that way. And if anyone wants to take it from me they'll be in for a fight."

Yates and his team-mates took part in their final training session this afternoon ahead of Wednesday's crunch final Group D clash against Republic of Ireland.

John Peacock's squad only need a point to progress into the semi-finals, but Yates is hoping to take the frustrations from being held by the Dutch out on the Irish and finish the group in top spot.

"It's been a bit of mixed emotions since the Holland game. There is a sense of frustration that we didn't get the win but we are in a good position," he said.

"This is a really hard group, so naturally we are happy to be top of it, although we all think we should have won on Sunday.

"We've got a really tough game to come, but we are quite confident after the performances we've produced that we can go on and win it.

"They've still got a chance of going through if they win, so we know they are going to be giving everything. We've seen how hard they work by watching the videos of their matches - they'll fight for every ball and we've got to match that. We want that top spot."

Having been in Bulgaria for nearly ten days now, Yates believes the squad is clicking into gear at just the right time – and he has two familiar faces to help him feel at home.

Fellow Everton youngsters Nathan Holland and Tom Davies are also part of the squad, and he says it is great to have shared his Euro journey so far with his fellow Toffees.

"I've been impressed with how we have played. We've really come together as a team and it feels like we've gelled at the right time," Yates added.

"It's been great for me, Tom and Nathan as we've been on this journey together. Of course it helps having your club-mates with you, especially Nath as he plays down the right with me. We all know each other so well.

"It was a shame for Tom to pick up a knock against Italy and the lads all felt a bit down afterwards about it. But Tom's tough as old boots and very rarely gets injured so he'll hopefully be back for the Ireland game."