4 Young players who could help England dominate world football in the future

The Three Lions of England are one of international football's most traditional teams, sitting in the upper echelons of football's elite countries.

The 'Land of the Queen' pride themselves as the inventors of football, while also having some of the most passionate fans in the world, the oldest football club and Cup competition among others.

It is also home to the Premier League, which is unarguably the most global and marketable football league in the world at the moment, and, it goes without saying that some of the most legendary players in history have donned the national colors of England.

However, for all of the glitz and glamour associated with England, they have woefully underachieved throughout their history, developing a penchant for choking on the biggest stages with the result being that they have very little to show for all of their efforts.

Till date, England has won just one major international trophy - the 1966 Word Cup hosted on home soil, which is a major travesty and looks paltry when placed side by side with other established nations like Brazil, Argentina, Italy, Germany, France, and Spain.

In the not too distant past, England boasted a host of world-class players affectionately termed as the 'Golden Generation' and included the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry - all established players in their own right who could genuinely claim to be among the best in their respective positions during their prime.

It is no hidden secret that this squad woefully underperformed, failing to make it to even a semifinal of a major tournament which led to a general public apathy towards the national team.

A change in approach was needed, and the country started placing an emphasis on promotion of youth, establishing numerous training facilities across the nation tasked with the identification and development of young players following the German template from the start of the millennium.

The results have paid immense dividends, as England's U20 team triumphed in the 2017 World Cup (which was their first major international honor of any kind since 1966) and they followed that up by winning the U17 World Cup late that year.

In Gareth Southgate, the country has a manager who is unafraid of giving youth a chance, evidenced by his very young squad that defied expectations and made it all the way to the semi-finals of the last World Cup.

A few months later, they qualified for the semi-finals of the first ever UEFA Nations League after impressively topping a group also containing Word Cup runners up Croatia and perennial heavyweights Spain.

Their displays have returned a feel-good factor to the English national team and gotten fans believing in the team once again especially given how young the squad is. In this piece, we shall be taking a look at four players aged 21 and under who could be the driving force of England's future.

Honorable mentions - Dominic Solanke (21years), Ben Chilwell (21 years), Rhian Brewster (18 years)

#4. Declan Rice (West Ham United) - 20 years

Declan Rice was phenomenal for England during the qualifiers

Declan Rice has been receiving steady attention as one of the fastest rising stars in the Premier League owing to his displays for West Ham.

The 20-year-old only made his professional debut as a substitute on the last day of the 2016/2017 Premier League season, but he has gone on to integrate himself as a key member of The Hammers team.

Having represented the Republic of Ireland (courtesy his grandparents) across all youth levels, Rice made the controversial decision to switch allegiance to England.

He was handed his competitive debut by Southgate when he came on as a substitute in the European qualifier against the Czech Republic and made his first start against Montenegro four days later, with his displays earning him rave reviews.

Comfortable in the middle of the park or at center-back, Rice has been compared favorably to the legendary Steven Gerrard and if he is to continue with this trajectory, he is bound to have a long career with England like the Liverpool icon (maybe with a few trophies to boot).

#3. Callum Hudson Odoi (Chelsea) - 18 years

You know you're something special when two of the biggest clubs in the world battle it out for your signature.

This is exactly the scenario Callum Hudson Odoi finds himself in, as Chelsea and Bayern Munich were locked in an intense struggle for his services, with the German giants making multiple bids for him in January. All bids were turned down by the London club despite the fact that he is still just a teenager.

In many countries of the world, Odoi would not be eligible for many rights afforded to adults including drinking, driving, and voting, but as a professional footballer, he seemingly has the world at his feet and played a key role in helping England to the Under 17 World Cup in India in 2017.

Despite not yet being fully integrated into the Chelsea setup (he has made just six Premier League appearances till date) much to the chagrin of supporters, the 18-year-old is still highly rated around Cobham.

Proof of his value comes in the fact that despite his limited game time, Gareth Southgate deemed him worthy enough to make his competitive debut against the Czech Republic aged just 18 years and 135 days to break former Manchester United whiz kid Duncan Edwards long-standing record as the second youngest player to represent England in a competitive match behind Wayne Rooney.

#2. Trent-Alexander Arnold (Liverpool) - 20 years

England v Belgium: Group G - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Most people create their own opportunity, while others stumble upon it by chance or good fortune and the latter proved to be the case for Trent-Alexander Arnold, as he was the beneficiary of a long-term injury to then first choice right-back Nathaniel Clyne in the buildup to the commencement of the 2017/2018 season.

From then on, the Liverpool academy graduate did not look back, as he performed significantly well in Clyne's absence, so much so that when his more experienced teammate returned from injury and was unable to reclaim his shirt.

The 20-year-old has grown from strength to strength, making it to England's World Cup team, while also becoming an ever-present in Liverpool's new-look defense.

His displays this season have been so breathtaking that he has been identified as one of the best right-backs in the world at the moment, while he is also the forerunner to be named PFA Young Player of the Year.

#1. Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 19 years

Having found playing time hard to come by at Manchester City and not convinced he could break into the first team, Jadon Sancho took the bold step to move to Borussia Dortmund.

His move was a very courageous one because English players are notorious for never straying far from home - with there being only a few instances throughout history of English internationals playing outside England much less at such a young age.

The decision has however proved to be very beneficial, as Sancho has grown in leaps and bounds since arriving Dortmund.

Despite his young age, the English international has become a mainstay of the first team under Lucien Favre, aiding BVB's quest for a first league title in seven years.

Sancho has shone like a million stars, chipping in with eight goals and 10 assists from 26 Bundesliga matches to help Dortmund maintain their quest to dethrone Bayern Munich.

He had earlier stared as one of the driving forces behind England's Under 17 World Cu win in 2017 and made his full international debut in October 2018.

He has been earning rave reviews as the next big thing in England and is sure to become a main player for the Three Lions in the nearest future. One cannot help but wonder why Guardiola let him slip away.

Edited by Lennard Surrao