England Under-17s kicked off their World Cup campaign in Qatar on Tuesday. But for English football’s brightest young prospects, it wasn’t a great start.
The young Lions suffered a 3-0 defeat to Venezuela. It was a steep learning curve against a side and a football culture they would not have experienced before in an environment alien to their usual surroundings of academy football.
Of course, these England players all have plenty of time to develop and there is a long way to go in their football journey. So with that journey in mind, The Athletic looks at some of the brighter prospects and examines their talents.
The player
Name: Harrison Miles
Club: Manchester City
Date of birth: July 28, 2008 (17 years old)
Position: Midfield
The backstory
Miles spent nine years in Southampton’s academy before he joined Manchester City in September 2024. He has continued to progress since the move and played an integral part in Manchester City’s Under-18s winning the Premier League North title last season.
He has been in the England pathway from the under-15s age group and has played at under-16s, under-17s and under-18s levels.
Miles captained the under-16s to victory in the Football Federation Cup in Spain in February 2024. His manager then was Neil Ryan, who has also coached him at under-17 and under-18 levels, and is now leading the under-17s in Qatar this month.
What we witnessed
England warmed up for the World Cup finals at St George’s Park with back-to-back friendlies against France, and Miles played a prominent role in the first game.
England won 1-0 thanks to a late winner and controlled a lot of possession against a good French side, with Miles and midfield partner and captain Fulham’s Seth Ridgeon playing a key role.
Miles is a busy, technical player. Sitting in front of the back four, he was constantly making himself available to receive possession and was comfortable doing so in tight spaces. It was Ridgeon who looked to get forward more, with Miles anchoring the midfield. But Miles’ key strength was showcased in his ability to play forward and switch play to England’s wide players, who were a constant threat to the French.
That midfield partnership continued in the opening game of the World Cup against Venezuela, and initially, the game followed a similar pattern, with Ridgeon playing even further advanced, leaving Miles as the only midfield anchor.
For over half an hour, England dominated possession, with Miles pulling the strings and combining well with the defenders to create passing triangles to play around the limited press Venezuela put on them.
Harrison Miles battles with Henrry Diaz of Venezuela during the recent FIFA Under-17 World Cup group stage match (Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
England created plenty of chances, with Ridgeon and central striker Alejandro Rodriguez, who was actually born in Venezuela, going close on several occasions, only to be denied by an inspired goalkeeping display from Alan Vazquez.
As the first half wore on, Venezuela became a threat on the counter-attack and scored twice before half-time from quick breaks, which left Miles and England’s back four exposed. England tried to reclaim control in the second half, but the game was constantly broken up by the Venezuelans, leaving England unable to gain any momentum.
Miles showed his passing range late on when he played in club team-mate Ryan McAidoo with a superb ball before being substituted in the 69th minute. Venezuela went on to score a third late on to inflict a humbling defeat on England.
Miles will no doubt enjoy better games, but he has shown in previous performances that he has the technical ability to help England get their World Cup challenge back on track against Haiti today (Friday, 12.30pm) and Egypt on Monday (3.45pm).