‘It has not been easy’: England’s Under-20s size up hectic World Cup

23.03.2023 - 21:27 theguardian.com

O n a wet and windy night in Manchester, Ian Foster runs through an itinerary that is taking the head coach of England Under-20s men’s team to Marbella and Bali over the next week. “It’s tough at the top,” he jokes.

Warmer weather aside, Foster’s quip has substance, as the ripple effects of staging a winter World Cup in Qatar continue to be felt in international circles.

England commenced preparations for the Under-20s World Cup in Indonesia with a 2-0 win over Germany at Manchester City’s Academy Stadium on Wednesday.

Samuel Iling-Junior, the former Chelsea academy graduate who has broken into Juventus’s first team this season, scored twice as England overcame a difficult start to deliver a controlled and comfortable victory.

Football FIFA Chelsea cup Ian Foster Qatar France Germany Spain Usa Indonesia Slovakia

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A young Peter Sagan once said to himself: ‘if it goes wrong on the road, I can always go back to mountain biking’. Since then, the Slovakian has won a record seven green jerseys at the Tour de France, three world titles and numerous Classics, including the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix – all while being one of the peloton's chief entertainers. Ad But the lure of the mountain bike has finally proved too strong, with Sagan set to return to his original discipline as he bids to sign off his career at the Paris Olympics next summer.