England U21s handed Euros semi-final blow with Ramsey ankle injury

England U21s handed big blow ahead of European Championship semi-final with Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey’s set to miss rest of tournament with an ankle injury – with Emile Smith Rowe set to replace him in Lee Carsley’s starting XI

  • Jacob Ramsey is set to miss England’s quest for European Championship glory 
  • Aston Villa midfielder has been a standout performer during the tournament 
  • Arsenal star Emile Smith Rowe is set to replace him against Israel on Wednesday 

England’s Under 21s have been dealt a blow as Jacob Ramsey looks set to miss the remainder of their quest for European Championship glory.

Ramsey, the Aston Villa midfielder, has been a standout performer during England’s march to Wednesday’s semi-final against Israel.

But he hobbled out of Sunday night’s 1-0 victory over Portugal with an ankle injury after a nasty tackle and left the stadium on crutches.

Manager Lee Carsley said that Ramsey had severe numbness in his foot and ankle, with England not looking to provide him with injections for fear of exacerbating a problem.

Should the Young Lions progress beyond Israel – whom they beat in the group stage – the final will be staged against either Spain or Ukraine on Saturday. Ukraine upset favourites France 3-1 in the quarter-finals.

Jacob Ramsey (pictured, right) is set to miss England’s quest for European Championship glory

Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe (left) is likely to replace him in their semi-final against Israel

It is likely that Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe, who has scored twice in the tournament, will take Ramsey’s place on the left-hand side of England’s attack should the 22-year-old fail to make a swift recovery.

Meanwhile, Oliver Skipp had been expected to start during the Euros but the form of Angel Gomes and Curtis Jones has kept the Tottenham midfielder largely on the sidelines.

Keen to impress new Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou, Skipp is considering forgoing a holiday after this tournament and linking straight up with the squad as they head for Australia on pre-season tour.

‘I think there’s definitely an opportunity for me,’ Skipp said. ‘Of course I think you do need a rest but also I’ll have to see what the club’s plan for me is.

‘They’ve let me focus on the tournament first and then we’ll probably get into contact and we’ll see. It’s only a month before the Premier League starts if we do go all the way. It will be a small turnaround.

‘But sometimes it’s good to just get into it and not have so long of a build-up. I’ll be looking to get back in as soon as possible.’


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