Blues boss Mick McCarthy says it’s no surprise that midfielder Tristan Nydam was named in the England U19s squad yesterday having impressed on his debut for the side coached by Paul Simpson earlier in the month.

Nydam, 17, started for the Young Lions as they thrashed Poland 7-1 but missed the subsequent 3-1 defeat to Germany having picked up a knock. Fellow Blues midfielder Flynn Downes, 18, made his England U19s debut in that game.

“He played well and they were delighted,” McCarthy said of Nydam, whose only previous international match was an U18s game last season.

“I spoke to Paul Simpson, who I played with at Man City, a great lad he is, and he was delighted with him. And why wouldn’t he be? He’s a really good player.”

Downes is currently sidelined with a thigh problem and McCarthy says he would probably have joined Nydam in the squad but for the niggle.

“Presumably, I don’t know, I think he did all right and barring injuries then I’m sure he would have been up there for selection,” he added.

“And like I said about the two of them, if they’ve got any better than those two at the moment, they’ll be doing really well.”

Meanwhile, McCarthy says handing young defenders Luke Woolfenden and Pat Webber new contracts this week will give the players breathing space in which to develop after promising starts to their seasons.

The 18-year-olds have signed deals which run until the end of 2019 with the club having an option to keep them for a further season.

Ipswich-born Woolfenden made his senior debut as a sub in the Carabao Cup win at Luton and then his first start in the following round at Crystal Palace when he was in the back four alongside Webber, who was making his first-team bow in that game.

“When they come through the academy they generally get a year with a year’s option unless they’re unbelievably talented and then that changes things,” McCarthy said.

"And I’m not saying they’re not but there are some that stand out and then there are others that get the year and I know they worry from starting the year to the end of that contract about whether they’re going to be kept on, and it’s a tough old time for them.

“So, to be given a little bit of security and a bit of time so they can not be so fraught with thinking, ‘Am I going to stay, am I going to be here, what am I going to do?’, instead they can concentrate on the game. That gives them a bit of time and it gives us a bit of time as well.

“But they’ve both done well, I thought in the game at Crystal Palace, which was the one which stood out for all of us, I thought they were both excellent and then subsequently they’ve been playing in the U23s and they’ve had a good time.”

Photo: TWTD

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