Aidy Boothroyd: FA confirm England U21s manager will leave role

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The Football Association has confirmed that Aidy Boothroyd will leave his role as England U21s manager.

Boothroyd’s contract was set to expire this summer but the FA announced that the former Watford manager will call time early on his tenure after England’s dismal display at the U21 European Championships.

The Young Lions were eliminated in the group stage, despite boasting a squad including a wealth of Premier League prospects, such as Callum Hudson-Odoi, Eberechi Eze, Emile Smith Rowe and Curtis Jones, after defeats against Switzerland and Portugal.

In the wake of those defeats, with Boothroyd’s position under considerable threat, the 50-year-old claimed coaching the U21s “is the utterly impossible job” and referred to the absence of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount, who would have been eligible to compete at the tournament but are already established in the senior squad.

In a statement confirming his departure, Boothroyd said: “It’s been the greatest privilege to represent the FA and lead England teams into high-profile tournaments. While we didn’t finish in the way we wanted, I’m very proud to have been able to work so closely with players who I know will go on to have remarkable international careers and to have experienced some very special moments with them over the years.

“I’d like to thank my staff and all of the incredible support team that have done so much to help us remain competitive against other elite nations. In every single get-together they embraced our unique challenge of rightly prioritising the needs of the senior team while ensuring we gave our all to try and get a positive performance and result.”

England manager Gareth Southgate added: “I’d like to thank Aidy for his wholehearted support and dedication to developing English players and coaches across the last seven years.

“His pride in working with all of our development teams has shone through and his support of the senior team has been greatly appreciated. I wish him every success on the next step of his career.”