Zimbabwe Starlet Chiwome Named in England Squad for Under-17 European Championships
ENGLAND born Zimbabwean forward Leon Chiwome will have an opportunity to showcase his talent to a wider audience following his inclusion in England's final squad for the UEFA Under-17 EURO Championships.
Chiwome is part of a 21-men Young Lions squad which will compete at the continental championships which kicked off in Hungary on Wednesday while England will kickstart their campaign against Croatia Thursday evening.
The highly rated 16-year-old striker is part of the academy squad at English Premier League side Wolves.
Chiwome has been starting for the Wolves under-18s since arriving at the club from AFC Wimbledon last year.
He has scored five goals in 10 appearances for Wolves under-18s this term and has already featured for the under-21s.
Wolves have two representatives at the competition, with 15-year-old centre-back Brayden Clarke, son of former Wolves, Albion and Blues midfielder Nigel Quashie, part of the Wales squad.
He was born to a Zimbabwean father and a British mother, which also makes him eligible to play for Zimbabwe if he decided to switch international allegiance in the future.
Chiwome, who was part of the England U-17 team which successfully came through two qualifying rounds last October and then in March to seal their place in the finals will be hoping to get an opportunity during the tournament starting today against Croatia.
From there, they take on the Netherlands on Sunday before their final group match against Switzerland on May 24.
The top two teams from each of the four groups will then head into the knockout stage with quarter-finals (Saturday 27 May), semi-finals (Tuesday 30 May) before the Final takes place in Budapest on Friday 2 June.
Meanwhile, this year's edition will acts as the European qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup, with five spots up for grab.
Four teams who reach the semi-finals will automatically get the tickets for the tournament while a play-off between two of the beaten quarter-finalists will decide the fifth qualifier.
This article originally appeared on New Zimbabwe
Photo: New Zimbabwe