Teens who were raised by Reading with a convincing victory, the Under-17s kicked off their European Championships with appearances from Christian Dunbar-McDonald and Luca Fletcher for England.

In their first group stage victory, Greg Lincoln’s team destroyed France 4-0 in Cyprus, thanks to goals from Mikey Moore, Baylee Dipepa, and Ethan Nwaneri.

With seventeen minutes left, Fletcher entered the game for the Young Lions, while Dunbar-McDonald played nine.

Fletcher, 16, joined Manchester City in the summer and brought in a sizeable amount that was sold to raise money for the team.
Selected as the 2022–2023 Scholar of the Season, he was guaranteed a professional deal this year if he declined Manchester City.

In his first season with the Citizens, the striker scored 10 goals in 17 games for the Under-18s.

Dunbar-McDonald, a winger who moved out of Berkshire in 2022, worked with Fletcher at East Manchester, contributing four goals and five assists.

The final two teams in each group advance to the knockout stages; Portugal (Friday) and Spain (Monday) face off in the remaining groups.