Football
ESPN staff 6y

Antonio Conte: England team has very bright future after string of youth wins

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has said he feels England's outstanding run of youth team success means the country will have a future senior side that will be "very difficult to beat."

England's under-17s were crowned world champions after coming back from 2-0 down to beat Spain 5-2 in a thrilling final in Kolkata on Saturday.

In June, the under-20s won their version of the World Cup, the under-19s were crowned European champions in July and the U17s were runners-up in May's Euros.

And Conte, whose club had five players involved in U17 triumph, said: "I think football in England is growing in an incredible way because it is not the only result the young players have had.

"The U19s won, the U20s have won and the U21s also played a really good European Championship. It means football in England is growing and improving a lot.

"I am sure that in the future it will be very difficult to beat, the England national team, the first team."

The former Italy coach added: "I think when you have this movement behind you, you can have a great possibility to have a strong team for the next World Cup."

But ex-England boss Sam Allardyce warned that there would need to be "a change of mentality" if England's U17 World Cup-winners are to get a chance at club level.

Allardyce said the pressures of life in England's top two divisions may mean domestic managers do not give them sustained chances.

Writing in the Times, he said: "The big question is about where they go from here. If this was Germany or Spain, you would be confident that these lads -- as well as the U20 squad who won their World Cup -- would get every opportunity to fulfil their potential.

"In England, it is going to take a real change of mentality if they are going to get that chance.

"Because the financial rewards of staying in the league or qualifying for the Champions League are so great, the development of young players becomes an afterthought at best."

Allardyce said he did not believe that most people "understand or recognise the pressure that managers are under to get results in the short term."

He added: "Nine times out of ten, if you are in a pressurised situation, you go with experience."

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