England’s first U-20 World Cup championship — the first soccer title of any kind since the 1966 World Cup — has brought attention on the U-20s stars, Dominic Solanke, who won the Golden Ballas the tournament’s best player, and Freddie Woodman, who saved a penalty in the final, but their coach, Paul Simpson, says it’s too early to talk about a golden generation.
“It is too early for that,” he says. “We could sit and make all sorts of bold statements. Let’s enjoy what we have done, it is a wonderful achievement from them. We are the world champions at under-20level which isn’t easy. Let’s see what comes next and hope they continue to develop. We hope we can lead them and guide them through these next stages to get the football they need and they can go onto be successful.”