It’s been a busy summer for England U21s defender Lloyd Kelly.
The 20-year-old spent most of May between St. George’s Park for training with the Young Lions squad, downtime in his hometown of Bristol and sealing a close-season transfer to AFC Bournemouth after an impressive campaign with Bristol City.
And he’s now in Italy, as part of Aidy Boothroyd’s squad preparing for the U21 EURO Finals which kick-off against France in Cesena on Tuesday.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” admits Kelly, who only stepped up into the U21s squad last November having previously been with the U20s.
“From ending the season at Bristol and not getting into the play offs which we hoped for, then quickly moving on to signing with Bournemouth.
“Now it’s the Euros, which would 100 per cent cap off the summer. It’s everyone’s aim in the squad, to get as many points as we can, get out of the group and do our best to win the tournament.
“There’s a certain amount of expectation going into it but at the same time we can’t really focus on that.
“You’ve just got to make sure you’re at it every game and every training session and make every minute count really.”
A thoughtful and affable individual, the story of Kelly’s journey to this point brings plenty of perspective.
Alongside his brother and sister, he grew up in foster care with different homes around Bristol and admits that football was where he found the most solace as a youngster.
And now that he’s about to feature in his first major tournament on the international scene, Kelly is only too happy to discuss how thankful he is to have the opportunity.
“I’m grateful for what everyone has done for me,” he adds.
“I went into foster care when I was about six or seven years old and we moved around a few homes.
“I was with my brother and sister. It was a family – a woman and a guy – and we moved to three different places throughout the years, different families for three or four years each.
“They didn’t have to, so it was nice they were willing to help us and we were all together which was nice but it was difficult, don’t get me wrong.
“We’re now as solid as a rock and a few of my family want to come out to watch a few games. They’re buzzing, including my most recent carer, who’ll be coming out with the family.”
