Tammy Abraham, like so many other talented young players, may not be deemed good enough for Chelsea at the moment but he will do for England. The 19-year-old striker, who has been lighting up the Championship on loan at Bristol City, scored twice on his full debut for England Under-21s as they rounded off their unbeaten Euro 2017 campaign in style.
Abraham, who is one of 38 players currently on loan from Chelsea for whom he made two substitute appearances at the end of last season, has scored 11 times in 14 games for the Ashton Gate club helping lift them into the play-off zone.
Aidy Boothroyd, the interim England Under‑21 manager, passed his audition to stay in pole position to claim the role should Gareth Southgate stay in charge of the senior side beyond next month.
Boothroyd built on the template established by Southgate over the past three years and encouraged a much-changed lineup to play a fluent passing game that penetrated a Bosnia & Herzegovina side whose resolve was broken by two goals in the opening 18 minutes.
The icing on the cake was provided by Abraham, not just by a goal in each half but by the manner in which he led the line. Marcus Rashford capped Southgate’s last game in charge of this side with a hat-trick in the 6-0 win against Norway at Colchester United last month but who knows how far Abraham may be behind the Manchester United prodigy?
Boothroyd, who worked with Abraham in the younger age groups, argued such is the talent in England’s youth setup that proving their calibre is sometimes simply a question of opportunity.
“Tammy is proving his worth in the Championship and he is a typical young English player who is talented and has been given an opportunity at a club,” Boothroyd said. “He is a good finisher and has a really good, enthusiastic, optimistic outlook on life. He wants to play every minute and is not only a goalscorer but a team player who puts a shift in for the team.
“Marcus [Rashford] can play down the middle or on the left or the right while Tammy is more of an out and out centre-forward – somebody else that has been given a chance and has shown what he’s all about. Sometimes that is what it’s all about, giving young players opportunities and being brave enough to do it.
“You don’t know what’s around the corner at Chelsea and what they might do. It is that opportunity, the only thing that is really missing. I think he is well on the way to proving that [he is good enough for the Premier League].”
After the 1-0 victory in Kazakhstan last Thursday that ensured qualification for the European Championship finals in Poland in June next year, England played with zip throughout on a sunny afternoon at Walsall’s Banks’s Stadium.
Both opening goals were honed in Chelsea’s academy as John Swift, who left Stamford Bridge for Reading in the summer, scored with a delightful shot into the far top corner from 25 yards before Abraham struck four minutes later, scything home a rebound after Joshua Onomah’s left-footed shot was parried by Kenan Piric.
Onomah added the third four minutes after the restart, shooting in low on the half turn after Jack Grealish headed back into the area, before Duncan Watmore slotted home a neat shot after running clear on to Grealish’s clever reverse pass.
Grealish, part of the squad who won the Toulon tournament in the summer to help cement Southgate’s reputation, performed well in the No10 role at the front of the midfield diamond but the opposition were particularly obliging.
Watmore then turned provider as he played in the pass for Abraham to complete the scoring with a nonchalant dink 22 minutes from time. England have won eight games in succession at this level but, whether it is Southgate, Boothroyd or someone else at the helm, it will be on the tournament stage that they are judged.
