Arsenal duo Marli Salmon and Josiah King featured for the England u17s on Tuesday, but the team have work to do after suffering a late defeat.
Arsenal received three call-ups from the England u17s this week, with Marli Salmon, Josiah King, and Kyran Thompson all selected for the squad for the first round of European Championship qualifiers.
Two of the three featured in England’s opening game against Scotland on Tuesday, with Salmon playing the full 90 minutes and King coming on as a late substitute for the side.
England would have been hoping for three points from their opening fixture, but a 95th-minute winner from Scotland’s Luke Douglas ensured the hosts took all three points with a 1-0 victory.
England have two more games to turn things around, but they can’t afford any further slip-ups. Only the top-two teams from each group progress to the next round in spring 2026, so the young Lions might need two wins from their remaining two games to ensure they make it.
Thompson will hope for some involvement in the remaining fixtures, with the England website not even naming him in the squad for the Scotland game. It’s unclear whether that’s an error or whether the Arsenal teenager had to sit out of the match.
England play Lithuania on Friday, October 31st and Sweden on Monday, November 3rd in the other two games, with Sweden having beaten Lithuania 2-0 in their own opening fixture.