Leeds United centre-back Charlie Cresswell is on England under-21 duty this week, hoping to impress at St George’s Park as game time under Daniel Farke remains scarce.
Leeds’ enhanced depth in the Championship this season means that many young players aren’t getting the opportunity they hoped for.
Because Pascal Struijk and Joe Rodon have formed a fantastic relationship, Charlie Cresswell’s playing time in the Championship has been limited this season after a great loan at Millwall.
Cresswell, who was named to England’s under-21 team again this month, will be aiming for minutes in a Three Lions shirt after last starting a league game in August against Birmingham City.
Since then, he has appeared in the EFL Cup penalty shootout defeat to Salford City and has played a single minute in the league against Ipswich and QPR.
He’s at St George’s Park with the rest of the talented under-21s squad, and a behind-the-scenes video from the training field shows first-team players in the gym, met by Cresswell and the rest of the squad.
Gareth Southgate, the senior squad manager, greeted the Leeds centre-back with a huge grin, having already met Kalvin Phillips:
Cresswell’s time with England will be crucial for him because he will be working with the finest players in the country not only at his age, but perhaps in general as he interacts with the adults.
It’s a terrific experience for him, and it might be the best thing for him right now, given that he has little chance of starting in the league for us right now.
Hopefully, he’ll receive some playing time for his country in the next week or two.
