England U21s coach quits after group-stage failure at Euros

Updated Apr. 16, 2021 5:10 a.m. ET

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LONDON (AP) — The coach of England’s under-21s has quit after the team was eliminated from the European Championship at the group stage.

Aidy Boothroyd’s contract was due to expire at the conclusion of the tournament in June but he has decided to leave early after five years in the role, England’s Football Association said Friday.

An England team featuring a number of regular starters in the Premier League lost to Portugal and Switzerland in last month’s group stage before a 2-1 win against Croatia that didn’t prove enough for Boothroyd’s side to progress.

Under Boothroyd, England also failed to get out of its group at the under-21 Euros in 2019.

Boothroyd had described his job as “utterly impossible” because the best players available for the under-21 team, such as Manchester City's Phil Foden and Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, ended up being picked in Gareth Southgate’s senior squad.

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Phil Foden

Jude Bellingham

Man. City