Leeds United pair given major advantage in back-to-back titles bid as possible Indonesia trip awaits

Recent Leeds United debutants Sonny Perkins and Darko Gyabi are expected to feature heavily for England’s Under-19s during March’s international break
Joe Donnohue
By Joe Donnohue
Published 24th Jan 2023, 11:58 BST
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The Whites duo will take on Hungary, Iceland and Turkey in the final qualification round for this summer’s Under-19 European Championships. England have been given a major advantage by organisers UEFA who have decided all three fixtures will be played on home turf, including two matches in Yorkshire.

England Under-19s’ fixture list currently pits the Young Lions against Hungary in Walsall on Wednesday, March 22 shortly followed by matches against Iceland at Rotherham United’s New York Stadium on Saturday, March 25 and Turkey at Chesterfield’s Technique Stadium on Tuesday, March 28.

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Only be topping their final qualification group will England’s youngsters qualify for this summer’s competition, set to be held in Malta. Last year, the Under-19s were victorious, defeating Israel in the final to lift their second such title at this age group.

CARDIFF, WALES - JANUARY 08: Sonny Perkins of Leeds United celebrates with teammate Mateo Fernandez after scoring the team's second goal during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Cardiff City and Leeds United at Cardiff City Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)CARDIFF, WALES - JANUARY 08: Sonny Perkins of Leeds United celebrates with teammate Mateo Fernandez after scoring the team's second goal during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Cardiff City and Leeds United at Cardiff City Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
CARDIFF, WALES - JANUARY 08: Sonny Perkins of Leeds United celebrates with teammate Mateo Fernandez after scoring the team's second goal during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Cardiff City and Leeds United at Cardiff City Stadium on January 08, 2023 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Neither Perkins nor Gyabi were involved in that squad, and therefore will be keen to replicate their success on the European stage. The Under-19s’ triumph last summer also means that England qualified for this year’s Under-20 World Cup in Indonesia, which the Young Lions won back in 2017 with a squad which featured Fikayo Tomori, Ademola Lookman and current Premier League players Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dean Henderson, Dominic Solanke, Ezri Konsa and Kyle Walker-Peters.

The two Leeds teenagers will be keen to impress during their March qualifiers in order to convince Under-20 head coach Ian Foster they deserve to be in his group that travels to Indonesia in May.

Perkins netted five times in three matches during the Under-19s’ last round of qualification matches, including a hat-trick against Georgia. Gyabi captained the side for their win over Denmark, in which he also scored. Both made their senior debuts for Leeds in the Carabao Cup earlier this season, and featured in the Whites’ 2-2 FA Cup draw against Cardiff City this month.

Related topics:EnglandIndonesiaHungaryTurkey