Paul Simpson’s crop of Lion cubs were tipped for huge success after victory on this day in 2017 - how are they doing three years later?
(Image credit: PA)
What do Bobby Moore and Lewis Cook have in common? No, it’s not their penchant for a well-timed tackle. It’s not that they share their surnames with a classic British comedy duo of the 1960s. They’re both World Cup-winning captains for England.
Bobby’s achievement chiselled his name into the granite of English footballing history; a statue outside the heart of English football followed. Cook hasn't enjoyed the same incredible rise – but he's turned out to be a decent player, nonetheless.
When they lifted England’s first international title in over half a century, much was expected of the U-20 side – it still is, for some of them. Given that it’s seven years today since that historic night, what’s become of that side now?
Euro 2024: Previous Winners
England's U-20 World Cup-winning team: GK: Freddie Woodman
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Freddie Woodman in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Freddie Woodman in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
Newcastle United academy product Freddie Woodman starred in South Korea in 2017, picking up the Best Goalkeeper award for his efforts and saving a penalty in the final against Venezuela. Some expected him to be in the England setup by now, given that his godfather is Gareth Southgate – that helps, right? – but he's not enjoyed a linear trajectory.
Now 27, he's at Preston North End after six loans away from the Toon. Given how keepers peak late, it's not impossible that he represents the Three Lions at senior level one day.
RB: Jonjoe Kenny
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Jonjoe Kenny in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Jonjoe Kenny in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
An ever-present in England’s 2017 title, Everton’s Jonjoe Kenny was again selected for UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He scored an absolute screamer against Croatia, but England fell flat and didn’t make it out of the group in the competition – a huge disappointment, given the exploits of two years’ prior. It prepares the kids for inevitable quarter-final exits at senior level, though.
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At club level, Kenny filled in at right-back for Everton but showed his inexperience and needed to go out and get more experience. Loan moves at Wigan Athletic and Oxford United were nothing more than fine, before a left turn to the Bundesliga saw him link up with David Wagner at Schalke on loan. He's followed the path of plenty of English wonderkids and since signed for Hertha Berlin, who play in the second tier. Not quite what some expected of the defender.
CB: Fikayo Tomori
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Fikayo Tomori in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Fikayo Tomori in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
In 2016, Calgary-born Fikayo Tomori captained Canada U-20 to a 2-1 win over England. Luckily, the Three Lions managed to poach the Chelsea academy product from across the Atlantic – he’s also eligible to play for Nigeria – and have capped him at U-19, U-20, U-21 and senior level, in order to stake a claim to the classy defender.
But now what? The Milan defender has won a Scudetto in Italy, he's been one of Serie A's top performers since his move there and yet, time and again, he's overlooked by Gareth Southgate. Perhaps he's regretting that international switch…
CB: Jake Clarke-Salter
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Jake Clarke-Salter in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Jake Clarke-Salter in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
Chelsea’s Jake Clarke-Salter conceded the penalty in the final of the U-20 World Cup, but unlike Tomori, he he didn't shoot up the ranks at Stamford Bridge as rapidly. He was named as captain of the England Under-21 side ahead of their 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship campaign, but fitting for a Chelsea player, Clarke-Salter went on loan after his big moment in South Korea - first to Sunderland, then completing a Blues rite of passage by booking an extended AirBnB stay in Vitesse.
Two loans at Birmingham City before Coventry led to him leaving Stamford Bridge permanently for QPR. He's a regular at Loftus Road, now.
LB: Kyle Walker-Peters
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Kyle Walker-Peters in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Kyle Walker-Peters in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
Much was expected of the versatile Kyle Walker-Peters following his displays in 2017. Club manager Mauricio Pochettino famously had a knack with full-backs; Serge Aurier had looked like a startled bull in Tottenham’s porcelain defence, while Kieran Trippier departed in 2019 and Danny Rose followed through the window just six months later to Newcastle on loan. It seemed set for him to assume the mantle.
KWP looked decent and was tipped for big things – and then the same fate hit him that had so many young talents before: Pochettino lost his job and in came grumpy sitcom dad, Jose Mourinho. The Special One took one look at Walker-Peters and turfed him out to Southampton on loan. He signed for the Saints in lockdown permanently and has stuck with them through relegation.
CM: Lewis Cook
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Lewis Cook in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Lewis Cook in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
Lewis Cook was one of the most exciting midfielders that England had produced since the Golden Generation. Adept at dictating play, storming forward and with a passing range to make many of his countrymen weep, he could function as a no.6, no.8 and no.10 with relative ease. He was to be the cornerstone of Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side and a future England star.
It's only now that he's starting to look like the player we thought he could, under Howe's successor, Andoni Iraola. Injuries have ravaged his career but in fairness, Cook has always looked good in a Cherries shirt. He became their first-ever England international when he was capped by Southgate in 2018.
CM: Josh Onomah
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Josh Onomah in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Josh Onomah in 2023(Image credit: Getty Images)
Josh Onomah was another classy midfielder hiding in the ranks at Spurs behind taller, most physically-imposing senior figures. Instead of breaking through in north London, however, Onomah completed “the reverse Dembele”: ditching north London and moving west to Fulham.
A move to Preston followed but Onomah has been clubless since July 2023, after a trial with Stoke City. A sad state of affairs for a star who's still just 27.
RW: Kieran Dowell
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Kieran Dowell in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Kieran Dowell in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
He was a solid enough player at Carrow Road but injuries and inconsistency plagued his time in Norfolk. Now he's at Rangers, following the Todd Cantwell path.
SS: Dominic Solanke
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Dominic Solanke in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Dominic Solanke in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
After a loan in Vitesse - where the hell else? - Chelsea academy grad Dominic Solanke was crowned the Best Player at the following summer’s U-20 World Cup, following in the footsteps of Paul Pogba, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. He signed for Liverpool and made his senior debut against Brazil in a friendly. Everything looked set for him to become England’s next Daniel Sturridge at the very least, the next Wayne Rooney if he was very lucky.
He's not quite hit the heights of Rooney but Solanke has become a very solid Premier League striker at Bournemouth, netting 29 in their promotion season from the Championship and a further 19 last season. The 26-year-old has been incredibly underrated in all that time, too, showing fantastic hold-up play and a selflessness that enabled team-mates to shine while his own numbers took a hit. Now, he's getting his flowers: and it's great to see.
LW: Ademola Lookman
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Ademola Lookman in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Ademola Lookman in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
League One’s most expensive footballer ever, Ademola Lookman was snapped up by Everton from Charlton Athletic, the January before his World Cup exploits. The Toffees then somewhat bizarrely signed Theo Walcott from Arsenal 12 months later, and Lookman faced an uphill battle to establish himself in an already-packed squad on Merseyside. The youngster took the same route to Germany as Jonjoe Kenny and Jadon Sancho, first on loan to RB Leipzig before signing permanently.
Loans at Fulham and Leicester were fine without being outstanding but Lookman has found a home at Atalanta, where he scored the hat-trick that won Gian Piero Gasperini's side the Europa League. He's also getting regular international, football… just not for England. He defected to play for Nigeria and has played 22 times for the Super Eagles.
ST: Dominic Calvert-Lewin
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Dominic Calvert-Lewin in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Dominic Calvert-Lewin in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was already getting game-time at Goodison Park when he became the first Englishman since Geoff Hurst to score in a World Cup final. He nicked the No.9 shirt at club level and went from strength to strength, with managers building their sides around him.
Like so many young prodigies, however, DCL just hasn't been able to stay fit, with Sean Dyche needing to bring in other forwards because the 27-year-old isn't reliable enough. Here's hoping he kicks on, though: he is, to date, the only one of this side to go to a major tournament with England's senior side, representing the Three Lions at Euro 2020.
SUB: Sheyi Ojo
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Sheyi Ojo in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Sheyi Ojo in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
Originally an MK Dons academy talent alongside Dele Alli, Sheyi Ojo moved to Liverpool and was given his debut in 2013. Under Stevie Gerrard’s tutelage at Rangers, Ojo’s looked good, while spells at Fulham, Cardiff and Millwall led to a permanent deal with Cardiff.
He's out of contract this summer, however, following a year-long loan with Belgian Pro League club K.V. Kortrijk. Not exactly the ascent to stardom some Liverpool fans imagined.
SUB: Ainsley Maitland-Niles
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Ainsley Maitland-Niles in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Ainsley Maitland-Niles in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
A utility man of the 2017 squad, Ainsley Maitland-Niles desperately tried to shake that tag at club level too.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles started Mikel Arteta's first few games for Arsenal as an inverted right-back and looked utterly superb. So what happened? Goodness only knows. Reports claimed that he didn't apply himself well enough and only wanted to be a centre-midfielder – so he went on loan to Sam Allardyce's West Brom, Southampton and Jose Mourinho's Roma (weird, yeah) to try and prove he could hack it at CM.
The former two of his loan spells saw him relegated. He joined Lyon on a free and must have panicked when their season began with them in the drop zone – but they've since turned things around.
Manager: Paul Simpson
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Paul Simpson in 2017…(Image credit: Getty Images)
…Paul Simpson in 2024(Image credit: Getty Images)
Simpson had a modest CV of spending the 90s traipsing through the midlands in an average lower league playing career, before taking his coaching badges; it was a hell of a reference, guiding the U-20 England side to international victory.
The Carlisle-born coach stayed with the U-20s until 2020, taking two years out before returning back to his home city to manage Carlisle United, where he's been for two years. So was he all that as a coach? Were our players that good in the end? Who knows. Ukraine triumphed at the U-20 World Cup in 2019. So maybe anyone can win this thing.
Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.
