Frank Lampard is one of the names being considered for the England U-21 coach when Aidy Boothroyd’s contract expires in the summer. The former Chelsea manager was relieved of his duties in early 2021, and has made no secret of wanting to manage a club again. Hence, whether or not he would want to manage an international team is yet to be ascertained.

As of now, England’s youngsters are having a tough time in the European Championship and will have to fight hard to qualify from their group, with losses to Portugal and Switzerland already weighing up factors against them.

Frank Lampard did a great job at Chelsea, bringing in young players through the academy of the likes of Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Billy Gilmour and Callum Hudson-Odoi, and his coaching staff including Jody Morris are highly admired by the England FA.

There are other candidates being considered for the post too, of course. Steve Cooper – who led the Under-17s to World Cup success in 2017 – is doing an outstanding job at Swansea, while Paul Simpson, who oversaw the Under-20s World Cup success, also has outstanding credentials.

QPR boss Mark Warburton was considered as FA Technical Director before Les Reed was appointed in 2018, and is also in the frame.

With the sort of talent coming into the young England squad, expectations will be high from anyone who takes over Boothroyd’s job and will have to deliver good performances at the very least.