Birch In England Victory Shield Squad

Young Everton defender Arlen Birch has been named in the England U16 squad for next week's Victory Shield clash with Wales at Cheltenham.

Manager Kenny Swain named an 18-man squad which included Everton defender Birch, although there was no place for midfielder Danny O'Brien.

Birch, who is from Shropshire and is also eligible to represent Wales, played the second half of England's opening Victory Shield match, a 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland.

The England squad in full is:

Goalkeepers: Dan Atkinson (Leeds United), Alex Palmer (West Bromwich Albion)

Defenders: Arlen Birch (Everton), Max Clarke (Hull City), Niall Heaton (Liverpool), Kodi Lyons-Foster (Tottenham Hotspur), Bryn Morris (Middlesbrough), Ben O’Hanlon (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

Midfielders: Reece Alassani (Crystal Palace), Charlie Cockett (Chelsea), Dan Crowley (Aston Villa), Josh Cullen (West Ham United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Oluwaseyi Ojo (MK Dons)

Forwards: Alex Gilliead (Newcastle United), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Alex Kiwomya (Chelsea), Jerome Sinclair (Liverpool)