Aidy Boothroyd has just left his role as England U-21s boss, with the young lions crashing out in the group stages of both the most recent two European championships under his leadership, after he succeeded current England boss Gareth Southgate. What is the next step for the young lions?
The current crop that crashed out in Slovenia a month ago are maybe one of the most talented group of youngsters anywhere in world football, with most of the side playing week-in week-out for their clubs, many of which are in the Premier League. So why did they fail to progress, and not just fail but fail so poorly?
Aidy Boothroyd got the job under what many may consider strange circumstances. He is friends with Dan Ashworth, which may have helped his case for the role. With no real top tier pedigree, should a manager of his caliber really be leading a national side? No, but he was. So, what is next for the side, and how do they make use of the talented side, many of whom won the World Cup with England at U-17 level, now they are U-21s?
The U-21s need a manager with experience, who has been a manager before with little to no funds for improvement at a club. An Englishman would also help, but isn’t essential for the role. A shortlist could include Chris Wilder, Eddie Howe and Darren Moore, who has just been hospitalised with Coronavirus.
The benefit of Chris Wilder is that he has knowledge of how to get the best out of a predetermined group of players. When at Sheffield United, he was barely given any money and saw the club rise to the Premier League from the third tier under his stewardship, and he also has a definite system, that could benefit the U-21s as he would utilise them well, and negate any defensive issues that we may have.
Eddie Howe, like Wilder, is also without a job, but for any candidate that would most likely not be an issue. The Ex-Bournemouth man is young, and has been linked with jobs up and down the country, including Scottish giants Celtic and the aforementioned Sheffield United. Clearly a talented manager, maybe he would be able to get the best out of the talents the U-21s can boast.
Possibly a rogue shout, Darren Moore would suit the job well on paper. The style he uses, as well as the players liking playing for him, make him an ideal candidate. The only issue may be that Darren Moore has just joined Sheffield Wednesday, with him leaving Doncaster Rovers recently to join the relegation scrap in the Championship.
So, what do you think will happen to the U-21 side? Who do you think will replace Boothroyd?
