England’s under-21s are currently top of their European Under-21 Championship group in Poland, and with the kind of quality they demonstrate in training, that’s not a huge surprise.
And just to remind everyone how good they are, the FA’s YouTube channel has released a video of the team’s top-five goals in recent training sessions.
Short videos of England’s teams practising their goal-scoring ability have been something of a revelation for the modern football fan, and this compilation is astonishing.
In at number five it’s Tammy Abraham. In a shooting session the Chelsea man took a glorious first touch through his legs before unleashing a sublime finish into the net at the near post.
Number four sees Southampton man James Ward-Prowse taking part in extra free-kick practice – all that additional training has paid off for James, who dispatches his free-kick in off the crossbar before receiving a handshake from his team mate.
Number three is something for the goal-net enthusiast. Fulham’s Cauley Woodrow curls the ball into the top-left corner, creating a sensational ripple in the net which is impossible not to enjoy.
Kortney Hause of Wolves wins the silver medal here, with his absolute arrow of a goal in a small-sided game leaving the goalkeeper with little chance of a save.
And at number one, it had to be Jacob Murphy’s 65-yard finish in an 11 v 11 game at St George’s Park. The Norwich City footballer’s first touch is lovely, but his effort from his own half, just creeping over the goal-line off the crossbar, is what earns him the number one spot.
