Andre Dozzell is hoping to put the disappointment of this summer’s U17 Euro Finals behind him as England Under-18s kick-off their new campaign.
The Ipswich Town midfielder was part of the Young Lions squad who lost to Spain in the quarter finals in Azerbaijan this May.
But as he starts the new season with Neil Dewsnip’s squad, who are preparing to face Italy and Israel in a mini-tournament in the north-west, Dozzell is now re-focused.
England v Italy
U17 International Tournament
7pm, Thursday 1 September 2016
Highbury Stadium, Fleetwood Town FC
Tickets: £3 adults, £2 concessions
"Last season ended in disappointment for us with the U17s, going out in the quarter finals of the Euros," he admitted.
"It was a great experience, it’s knock-out football and it’s a big tournament, which runs right through to the seniors.
"We know we could and should have gone further, but in knock-out football, anything can happen."
After their first taste of a UEFA competition under Steve Cooper last term, Dozzell and his squad mates will get a different experience with the U18s this term, as Dewsnip has lined up a varied and exciting list of opponents.
There will be trips to Sweden, Qatar and Argentina to come as well as games against France and Poland, in order to give the players the chance to test themselves against nations from across the world.
And Dozzell is hoping to be a part of it, having already been a regular for England at U16 and U17 level.
"There will be a lot of good experiences for us, we’re going to be going away quite a lot and it’s exciting for us playing nations from around the world," he said, in an interview with the official England match programme.
"Those of us who were involved at the Euros had a great learning curve and if this season is anything like that again, then it can only be a good thing for us as players and individuals.
"We know Italy are good, we’ve played them before and as a nation they’re always tough to play, right up to the senior team.
"So they’ll be hard to beat and it will be a good experience playing against them again.
"Israel is a new one and a nation we haven’t really faced before, but I’m sure they’ll be good and cause us problems. Any team at international level is of a decent standard and always hard to beat."
The game with Italy takes place at Fleetwood Town’s Highbury Stadium on Thursday evening. Tickets cost £3 for adults and £2 for concessions.
