England U17s begin their season with a trip to Poland this month, where they will play three games under new head coach Kevin Betsy.
The Young Lions will enter the U17 EURO at the Elite Round stage next March, so all of their fixtures in the first half of the campaign will be geared towards preparation for that.
And the 22-strong squad will face a variety of tests at the Syrenka Cup, starting against Finland in their opening game on Friday 6 September (3.30pm BST).
Whoever wins that game will take on the winners of the tie between Austria and Romania on Sunday 8 September, before the third and final match will be against either Poland, Georgia, Norway or Switzerland, depending on their results, on Tuesday 10 September.
“It’s an exciting year for this age group, many of the players have been with the national team since U15, but we’re also pleased to welcome some new players who have been doing very well at their clubs,” said Betsy, who has previously been in charge of England’s U15s and U16s since joining from Fulham in 2016.
“We’ll continue to give players experience throughout the season so when it comes to our Euro Qualifiers in March, competition for places will be high and the squad will all be familiar with all aspects of the England player pathway.
“The Syrenka Cup in Poland is a very good opportunity for the squad to play different styles of opponents and in a tournament scenario. The participating teams are strong mix of European nations and we expect tough opposition.
“The planning we have put in place has been extensive for the season ahead and we hope that we can support the players and allow them to continue to feel comfortable and supported on and off the pitch, including important areas such as their academic education, and continue to play with freedom in our expressive style that enables them to be successful.
“Each age group they move up the pathway to, we are adding layers of learning and providing experiences to help develop the person and the player and this year will be no different.”
The squad
Goalkeepers: Coniah Boyce-Clarke (Reading), Adam Richardson (Sunderland)
Defenders: Finley Burns* (Manchester City), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), CJ Egan-Riley (Manchester City), Zane Monlouis (Arsenal), James Norris (Liverpool), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Imari Samuels (Reading)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Birmingham City), Nohan Kenneh (Leeds United), Tyler Onyango (Everton), Aaron Ramsey (Aston Villa), Xavier Simons (Chelsea)***, Jadan Raymond (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Louie Barry (Barcelona), Liam Delap** (Manchester City), Lewis Dobbin (Everton), Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Samuel Iling-Junior (Chelsea), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Rico Richards (West Bromwich Albion)
* replaced Reece Welch (Everton)
** replaced Lewis Richardson (Burnley)
*** replaced James Balagzi (Liverpool)
