England head to the Under-17 World Cup with words of inspiration from Phil Foden.

The Young Lions are aiming to become only the third England team to win the World Cup.

They landed in Indonesia last week and faced New Caledonia at the Jakarta International Stadium on Saturday.

Six years ago, Manchester City’s Foden was part of a squad that included Conor Gallagher, Jadon Sancho and Morgan Gibbs-White that lifted the World Cup in India. He scored twice in the 5-2 final win over Spain and was named player of the tournament.

It is now part of a run that includes the under-17s’ victory and this summer’s under-21s’ Euro 2023 triumph, which the current crop have seen in their qualifying campaign.

“We heard from players like Phil, his memories of the 2017 tournament and how he felt it helped and developed him on his journey,” boss Ryan Garry told the PA news agency from England’s base in Jakarta.

“It’s a huge achievement to win a World Cup at any level. The fantastic work of the players and staff is a real reference point not only for this age group but also for many people in St. George’s Park.

“You will never be too far from hearing or talking about success. This age group then repeated their success at the Euros in the summer.

“It’s something that our group wants. The message was that we’re together.”

England also face Iran on Tuesday and defending champions Brazil in Group C next Friday.

The squad includes Ethan Nwaneri, who became Arsenal’s youngest ever Premier League player when he made his debut aged 15 and 181 days in 2022, Chelsea’s Ted Curd, on loan at Hashtag United, and Chris Rigg, who scored on his Sunderland debut in September. .

For Garry, it is the latest step in his own coaching career after he was forced to retire at the age of 27 due to nerve problems in his leg, linked to several injuries including a broken leg and shin splints.

The former defender is unbeaten, although he won’t be classed as one, after making his only start for Arsenal in a 6-1 win at Southampton that started the Gunners’ 49-game unbeaten run in 2003.

After retiring after four years and 86 games at Bournemouth, he coached at Poole College and Wimborne Town, working with the Cherries first team under Eddie Howe before returning to Arsenal’s academy in 2013.

“I wouldn’t say there’s a hole that needs to be filled. There’s an adjustment period for anyone who has to retire at a young age and I was very lucky to train before I had to retire,” he says, working with 11-year-old Bukaya Saka and Emil Smith Rowe. he was in his early teens.

“My passion continued, but just in a different way. As a player you have ambitions and then when you are a coach you see it a bit differently.”