Where are they now? Gareth Southgate’s first line-up as England under-21 manager
- Cameron Loftus
- 25 March 2022
By the end of the international break, England boss Gareth Southgate will have overseen 66 matches in charge of the Three Lions. But when did his England journey begin and who did he begin it with?
After leaving Middlesbrough in 2009, Southgate had a four-year break from football before taking over as England's under-21 manager in August 2013.
His first assignment was against Moldova in a European Qualifying match in Reading. We cast our eyes over the 18 players on duty that day to see what paths their careers have taken since the 1-0 win.
GK - Jack Butland
Such was the promise Butland showed when breaking into the Birmingham City side, he had already made his full international debut against Italy, becoming the youngest goalkeeper ever to represent England.
He went on to make 28 appearances for the under-21 side. However, senior appearances have been harder to come by with the last of his nine caps coming in 2018.
Poor form and injuries have mostly been to blame and he is now second choice at Crystal Palace behind Vicente Guaita, making just six appearances in the Premier League this season.
RB - John Stones
Even though he was yet to make his full Premier League debut for Everton, John Stones' potential shone through and he was picked at right-back by Southgate.
Now more regularly deployed as a centre-back by current employers Man City, Stones is a mainstay in Southgate's England squads and he has gone on to be a part of the Three Lions sides that have reached a World Cup semi-final and European Championship final.
And the man with over 50 caps for his nation has won three Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup.
CB - Andre Wisdom (C)
The former Liverpool defender led out the young Three Lions but was unable to break into the Anfield first team, heading out four times on loan.
In 2017, he joined one of his former loan clubs Derby County on a permanent contract and played almost a century of games for the Rams. However, after his contract ended in 2021, the Leeds-born 28-year-old has been without a club.
CB - Michael Keane
Twin brothers Michael and Will Keane came through the Manchester United academy and both were tipped to go to the very top from a young age, but things haven't panned out like that. Michael made one Old Trafford appearance, while Will featured three times for the Red Devils.
Nonetheless, while Will is notching goals for League One promotion-chasers Wigan Athletic, Michael has gone on to prove a rock at the back for Sean Dyche's Burnley, earning himself a £25million move to Everton in 2017.
He made his full England debut in the same year and has played 12 times at the heart of the defence, scoring a solitary goal against Montenegro in a 5-1 victory.
LB - Luke Shaw
The match against Moldova was the first of Luke Shaw's five caps at under-21 level and the next summer he became the most expensive teenager in the world at the time when signing for Manchester United for £30million.
Shaw made his full international debut at the age of 19, replacing Ashley Cole against Denmark and was the youngest player to appear in the 2014 World Cup.
His career stuttered but he has now made more than 200 appearances for Man United and earned 19 caps for England, proving a standout performer in their run to the Euro 2020 final in 2021.
CDM - Nathaniel Chalobah
Like the Keanes, Nathaniel and Trevoh Chalobah were brothers tipped for big things, with older brother Nathaniel five years the senior.
This was the former Chelsea player's eighth under-21 cap and he would go on to make a huge 40 appearances for the age group - second only to James Milner's 46 caps.
The versatile midfielder had six loan spells away from Stamford Bridge before finally sealing a permanent transfer to Watford in 2017.
As a full international, Chalobah has only seen action for six minutes and 54 seconds, coming on as a substitute in a Nations League win over Spain four years ago.
In 2021, Chalobah left Watford to join Championship side Fulham.
CM - James Ward-Prowse
Ward-Prowse, like his Southampton team-mate Shaw also made his first start for England's under-21s in this fixture, before being subbed off in the 66th minute.
Now almost ten years on, the Southampton captain is in the best form of his career and is a deadly set-piece taker as well as having an excellent range of passing.
He was rewarded for his form at club level in March 2017 when he won his first full cap for England against Germany.
The Portsmouth-born midfielder has been a feature in the majority of England squads in recent seasons and will be looking to finish the year strongly in a bid to get on the plane to Qatar in what is a fiercely competitive midfield.
CM - Tom Carroll
A member of the Tottenham youth academy, deep-lying playmaker Tom Carroll only turned out 56 times for Spurs in eight years as a professional at the club.
Carroll provided the assist for the only goal in this match and he would go on to play 17 times for England's under 21s between 2013 and 2015.
The left-footed player, now 29, had four loan spells away from Spurs and signed for Swansea in 2017. He played in the Championship in 2020/21 with London club QPR and this season has been in League One with Ipswich Town after signing a one-year deal.
RW - Wilfried Zaha
Many things have changed in Wilfried Zaha's career since this match, and the biggest change is that Zaha is now an Ivory Coast player.
Born in Abidjan in the Ivory Coast, Zaha opted to play for his country of birth in 2016, even though he made two England appearances between 2012 and 2013.
The tricky Crystal Palace winger, who has also spent time at Manchester United, was allowed to switch allegiance due to the fact that he had only played in friendlies for England and has gone on to play 25 times for Les Elephants.
ST - Saido Berahino
Scorer of the only goal of the game, Berahino has had quite the career. Born in Burundi, Berahino moved to England as a child and joined West Brom at 11.
He made a name for himself in the Midlands and attracted attention from a number of top-flight clubs including Tottenham whose failed bid for him led to a souring of relations at the Hawthorns.
He eventually escaped to Stoke City but was unable to regain his early-career form with concerns about his attitude continuing to dog him.
Following a move to Belgium and Zulte Waregem he spent a loan period at Charleroi before returning to the UK in 2021, signing for League One club Sheffield Wednesday.
Now a Burundi international he has scored five goals in his last seven appearances for the Owls, including a hat-trick against Cambridge.
LW - Nathan Redmond
Former Birmingham and Norwich winger Redmond ended his England under-21 career with 38 appearances and 10 goals to his name.
Redmond is one of an exclusive club to have represented the Three Lions at every age group from the under-16s all the way through to the full national team.
He made his only appearance for England's full side in 2017, in the same match that his Southampton team-mate James Ward-Prowse made his debut in, against Germany. It was his last international call-up.
At club level, the 28-year-old is a regular starter for the Saints, featuring in 20 league games this season and providing his team-mates with five assists.
SUB - George Long
Goalkeeper Long was called up a couple of times for the under-21 but never featured.
He came through the Sheffield United academy as a locally born player between 2011 and 2018 and played 123 times for the Blades, with the majority of his appearances coming with the club in League One.
The 28-year-old spent time on loan at Oxford United, Motherwell and AFC Wimbledon before making a move to Hull City in 2018, where he would spend three years.
He played 65 times for the East Yorkshire club and in 2021 he moved south for a new venture with Millwall, where he is the second-choice keeper.
SUB - Eric Dier
Dier was something of an unknown quantity to many English football fans, having grown up and played in Portugal for Sporting Lisbon.
The midfielder or defender played for England at under-18 level two years prior and committed to playing for the nation despite Portugal wanting him to play for their national team.
Almost a year after this match, Dier was signed by Tottenham for a fee of around £4million on a five-year contract. He has remained in north London ever since and has played over 300 games in all competitions, scoring 11 times.
Dier has played 45 times for England, making his debut for Roy Hodgson in 2015 at the age of 21 in a 2-0 loss to Spain.
His finest moment in a Three Lions shirt came in the round of 16 match against Colombia in the 2018 World Cup when he scored the decisive penalty to send his nation through.
SUB - Jack Robinson
Robinson's career started with a bang, as he became the second youngest ever player to appear for Liverpool at the age of 16 years and 250 days. However, Robinson would only go on to play 11 times for the club that he began his career with and signed for QPR in 2014.
The majority of the left-sided defender's professional appearances have come in the Championship for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Blackpool and his current club, Sheffield United.
Robinson has made 21 Championship appearances this season and has impressed as the Blades push for a play-off spot under Paul Heckingbottom.
SUB - Todd Kane
There almost aren't enough fingers to count the utility player's loan spells away from Chelsea, for whom he was contracted to between 2012 and 2019. In total, Kane spent time on loan at eight different clubs and never actually featured for Chelsea's first team.
In fact, he didn't feature for the England under-21 side either and took a place on the bench three times in 2013, while on loan at Blackburn Rovers.
Fast forward to today and Kane is at Coventry City in the second tier of English football, playing 23 times this season.
SUB - Will Hughes
A lot was expected from the central midfielder when he broke into the Derby County first team in the 2012/13 season and he was called up to play for the England's under-21 in November 2012.
He was the second youngest player to play for the age group after Theo Walcott and played a total of 23 times at that level.
The central midfielder played 187 times for Derby and signed for Premier League club Watford in 2017 for around £8million. He turned out 118 times for the Hornets and signed for fellow London outfit Crystal Palace in 2021.
He has made 12 league appearances this season but is still yet to receive a call-up to the England squad.
SUB - Sammy Ameobi
Ameobi played twice in friendlies for Nigeria's under-20s in 2011 but was called up to play for England's under-21s soon after, making his debut in November.
In total, the Newcastle-born winger played five times for the age group, but failed to score.
In his club career, Ameobi started at Newcastle United, like his older brother Shola, making his debut in 2011. He went on to play just 58 Premier League games in seven years.
In 2017, he moved to Bolton Wanderers and two years later to Championship club Nottingham Forest, making almost 100 appearances for the two clubs combined.
Last year, the 6ft 4in player signed for another Championship side in the form of Middlesbrough, but the 29-year-old is yet to appear for the Teesside club due to injury.
SUB - Harry Kane
I think we all know how this lad's career has turned out. One of the greatest finishers that the Premier League has ever witnessed, Kane is also ever so close to being England's top scorer of all-time.
Kane has been named in the Premier League Team of the Season on no less than five occasions and has also won the Golden Boot on three occasions, a feat only matched by Thierry Henry.
The England captain has 48 goals to his name for his nation and has scored 178 times in the Premier League, putting him fifth on the list.
The best English striker of his generation, the 28-year-old will be looking to lead the Three Lions to glory in Qatar after falling at the last hurdle at Euro 2020.
