England Under-21 boss Boothroyd signs new two-year deal

England Under-21 boss Aidy Boothroyd has signed a new two-year deal, the Football Association has announced.

The former Watford manager will remain in charge of the Young Lions until 2021.

Boothroyd will take England to the Under-21 European Championship in Italy and San Marino next month – where they will face France, Croatia and Romania – after guiding them to the semi-finals in 2017.

“I’m delighted to sign an extension to my contract. I thoroughly enjoy this role working with excellent players, a fantastic group of staff and in an elite environment at St George’s Park along with the other national coaches,” Boothroyd told www.thefa.com.

“For me, it’s been especially rewarding to see so many players go up to the seniors from our development squads, whether making their debuts or establishing themselves in Gareth (Southgate)’s squad.

“This role is really about developing a group of players on and off the pitch that can help future England senior teams achieve success and I feel very privileged to continue doing so over the coming years.”

Lee Carsley will continue to work with England Under-21s as Boothroyd’s assistant, having previously signed a deal which also runs to 2021.

Boothroyd is set to name his squad for the 2019 Euro finals on Monday.

England will kick off their group campaign against France in Cesena on June 18 before facing Romania on June 21 and then playing Croatia in San Marino on June 24.

FA technical director Les Reed believes Boothroyd has helped establish a clear pathway from the Under-21 squad into a successful senior England set-up.

“We’re really pleased that Aidy will continue his excellent work in the England U21 set-up throughout the next Euro qualifying campaign and hopefully into the finals,” Reed said.

“Not only has he achieved successes on the pitch with the U21s but he has played a fundamental role in developing our group of young players, with many not only making the step up into the senior team but becoming regular members of the England squad.

“The pathway is really important to the success of the senior team and as we all work towards an England team being ready to win the World Cup in 2022, the work of Aidy and his staff is a crucial part of this.”