Sheffield United duo Aaron Ramsdale and Rhian Brewster told they can make country proud after being named in England U21 squad for Euros

Aidy Boothroyd's 23-man squad faces games against Croatia, Portugal and Switzerland in their group, with the top two nations progressing to the knockout stage of the championships this summer.

England face Switzerland on March 25 (2pm UK time), Portugal on March 28 (8pm) and Croatia on March 31 (5pm).

All games will be played in Slovenia behind closed doors, but a decision has not been made on whether the knockout stage will be played in front of fans this summer.

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Ramsdale and Brewster join the likes of Mason Greenwood, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eddie Nketiah in Boothroyd's squad,

“I’m excited by this group - not just in their ability but also their togetherness and team spirit - and know they will do everything they can to make the country proud," said Boothroyd.

“I’m grateful to Gareth [Southgate, senior England boss] for his support with what we are trying to achieve, and also to the clubs for recognising the importance of these finals.

“We want to win every time we play and will do all we can to reach the knockout stage – but this is also a crucial opportunity for providing valuable experience on and off the pitch that will help the players, their clubs and England in future.”

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England will appear in a record eighth successive U21 Euro finals this summer, but they haven't won the trophy in 37 years and have only progressed out of the group stage three times in their last eight attempts.

“History tells us that this competition is about as competitive as it gets and we know we’ll have to be at our best," Boothroyd added.

"Because we are in the middle of the domestic season, everyone will have to hit the ground running as soon as they come together but we’re ready for the challenge. We can’t wait to get started.”

All England matches will be televised by Sky Sports.

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