England-born Zimbabwean teenage starlet Leon Chiwome has been selected in England’s Under-17 squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers.
Chiwome, who has been enjoying an impressive start to his career at Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Academy will be part of the 21-man squad which will take part in a four-team group in Georgia.
The call-up to the England Under-17 side is a big step for Chiwome, who was born in Brighton to a Zimbabwean father and a British mother.
The 16-year-old Wolverhampton Wanderers youngster was recently named as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League.
Each year The Guardian compiles a list of youngsters from each Premier League club to keep an eye on, and Chiwome has been highlighted in the 2022 edition.
Chiwome, who was previously on the books of League Two side AFC Wimbledon scored twice in his first three outings for Wolves’ under-18s.
He has since go on to make his PL2 debut, coming on for the under-21s at Liverpool earlier this month.
He started last Tuesday’s Papa John’s Trophy game at Port Vale, and will now be hoping to help guide his country of birth to the UEFA EURO Finals in Hungary next summer by advancing through this initial stage of qualifying.
Congratulations to Leon Chiwome who has been included in the @England under-17 squad for the upcoming #U17EURO qualifying round.
👏🏴
— Wolves Academy (@WolvesAcademy) October 24, 2022
The Young Lions side is aiming to reach the elite qualifying round in Hungary early next year.
England’s first match is against Lithuania on Tuesday, followed by a game with hosts Georgia on Friday.
They will conclude their tour with a match against Israel back at the Tbilisi Sea Technical Center Stadium on Monday.
There are 13 four-team qualifying round groups, with the top two in each joining top seeds Netherlands and Spain in the elite round, along with the four third-placed teams with the best records against the top two in their section.
Those 32 teams will then be hoping to join hosts Hungary at the 16-team Finals from May 17 to June 2 2023.