Luton defender Teden Mengi is a late call-up to the England Under-21 side as he joins Hatters academy graduates, Zack Nelson, and Joe Johnson, in youth competitions for the Young Lions this week.
Nelson and Johnson have joined the England U20s and U29s respectively, but Mengi has been drafted late into Ben Futcher’s side for the upcoming fixtures against Spain and the Netherlands after Jarrad Branthwaite, Tino Livramento, Morgan Rogers and James Trafford moved across to the senior squad.
At 22, the centre half has already earned a cap at this level, making a brief appearance as a substitute during England’s 7-0 win over Luxembourg U21s in March. He was selected in the last international break but had to withdraw due to an injury. He has previously represented England across various youth levels, from U15 through U20.
Mengi will be aiming to increase his chances of selection for next summer’s UEFA U21 European Championship, hosted in Slovakia. The England U21s will first travel to Cádiz, where they’ll face Spain in La Línea de la Concepción on Friday, with a 5:30 p.m. kick-off. They’ll then play the Netherlands at the Yanmar Stadium in Almere on Monday, kicking off at 5:45 p.m.
Other Hatters on international duty include Mark McGuinness (Republic of Ireland), Amari’i Bell (Jamaica), Daiki Hashioka (Japan), Marvelous Nakamba (Zimbabwe), Dylan Stitt (Northern Ireland U19s).
