Fleetwood defender James Hill selected for England Under-21s

Lee Carsley's side face the Czech Republic in a European Championship qualifier at Burnley next Thursday, then visit Georgia for a friendly the following Tuesday.

The 19-year-old Hill is a surprise inclusion, having only made his Under-20s bow this season.

His three England U20 appearances include last month's 5-0 win over the Czechs, in which Hill came off the bench, took the captain's armband and scored his first international goal.

Everton winger Anthony Gordon is another first-time call-up to Carsley's squad.

Hill became Fleetwood' s youngest first-team player when he appeared in a League Cup tie against Leicester City in August 2018, aged 16.

He has become a regular in the Fleetwood side since Simon Grayson took charge at the end of January, making 13 League One appearances so far this season.

Speaking recently about his international rise, Hill said: “It’s been an amazing journey so far. I managed to get called up to the England Under-20s. I thought I’d be miles out of place but I kept going and I thought the first camp went really well.

“I’d never really competed against those boys – only in the cup competitions against Everton and Leicester when I was younger.

“I just thought that the intensity they play at is a bit more than I could keep up with. I thought I did really well and I proved myself wrong.

“It was kind of a shock to score. I don’t really score that often but I managed to score the week before for Fleetwood away at Cambridge."

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