Why The EFL Matters: The Backbone Of English Football And The Secret To England’s U21 Glory

The England Under-21s winning back-to-back European Championships once again paid tribute to a sacred pillar of English football – the EFL.

The English Football League has been the heir to football’s most watched league – The Premier League – for decades. What it does for the sport we all love should forever be appreciated.

The superstars that all three divisions continue to produce simply epitomises this, with many of them having featured within the England national team setup.

Whilst the Under-21s recent European glory paves a way for each and every one of them to shine at the very top, it was the beloved 72 that sprouted the majority of their careers and that is something that cannot go unnoticed.

The England Under-21 Euros Squad

A whopping 20 players out of Lee Carsley’s 23-man Euros U21 squad have featured in the EFL at some point in their careers. Only Jack Hinshelwood, Tino Livramento and Ethan Nwaneri are the ones to have not played below the Premier League, with them breaking through the ranks of top tier sides.

These 20 players have had different stints with 32 of the teams across the Championship, League One and League Two – Middlesbrough, Millwall, Leeds, Blackburn Rovers and Bristol Rovers being the teams most played for, with two former/current players each in the side.

🏆 @England are Under-21 European Champions again!

Over 3,000 minutes played throughout the tournament from all the #YoungLions who were #RaisedInTheEFL 💫 pic.twitter.com/aq00mqY4OJ

— EFL (@EFL) June 28, 2025

Altogether, Lee Carsley’s squad have racked up a staggering tally of 1,296 EFL matches between them, averaging out at 64.8 appearances each for the men who have played in the Football League. In is also worth noting that 10 out of the 20 players have had permanent contracts with an EFL club, rather than just a loan deal.

Let’s break it down further…

EFL Loanees

As previously mentioned, there are 10 players whose time in the second, third and forth tiers only consisted of loan deals – but who are they?

Harvey Elliott was the star of the show in Euros U21 2025, winning Player of the Tournament and becoming England’s top scorer with five goals – including in one in the final.

Despite graduating with Fulham in the top tier and then moving onto Liverpool, Elliott did play out a season-long loan with Blackburn Rovers in 2020/21, making 41 Championship appearances for the club. He also scored seven and assisted 11 on this stint.

(Harvey Elliot Championship Stats 2020/21: FotMob)

Locked in as an Ipswich Town player as of now, Omari Hutchinson’s only period in the EFL to date was a loan spell with the Tractor Boys in the 2023/24 season, as the youngster made 44 Championship appearances on his break from Chelsea.

James McAtee wore the England armband throughout the Euros U21, contributing with one goal and two assists. To add to this, the midfielder is also a player with Championship experience, making 37 appearances on a loan to Sheffield United from his homegrown club Manchester City in 2022/23.

Both Elliot Anderson and Jarell Quansah had spells with Bristol Rovers in recent years. Anderson made 21 appearances for the Gas in the 2021/22 season on loan from Newcastle United, earning promotion from League Two. Moreover, Quansah made 16 appearances in the 2022/23 season on loan from Liverpool, as he played third tier football.

Elliot Anderson & Jarrell Quansah both on the same pitch in the Premier League #UTG pic.twitter.com/BWDkBY9tGc

— Charlie Hayne (@charlie_hayne96) August 27, 2023

England starting goalkeeper in the tournament James Beadle has had the majority of his career spent in the EFL. He has had two stints with Sheffield Wednesday over the last two seasons, making 57 Championship appearances in total. Beadle also spent six months each with both Oxford United and Crewe Alexandra between 2023 and 2024.

The other four players to have been sent out on an EFL loan are:

• Tyler Morton – with both Hull City and Blackburn Rovers
• Samuel Iling-Junior – with Middlesbrough
• Brooke Norton-Cuffy – Millwall, Coventry, Rotherham and Lincoln
• Teddy Sherman-Lowe – Doncaster Rovers

Permanent EFL Stints

Despite the Premier League stereotypically being the footballing talent factory of the UK, there are many players within this Under-21 side that have spent a lengthy amount of time in the EFL – or were even nurtured through a lower league academy.

Euros U21 final starter Alex Scott kickstarted his career in the competitive Championship scene. The Guernseyman moved across to England as a 17-year-old in attempt to tackle the professional leagues; subsequently he spent three seasons in the second tier. He played for Bristol City in all three years, making 83 league appearances before his big move to AFC Bournemouth.

📣 Alex Scott has completed a move to AFC Bournemouth for an undisclosed Bristol City club record fee.

Thank you Alex. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/PtwSUCxofh

— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) August 10, 2023

England’s final match-winner Jonathan Rowe developed into the player he is today through the EFL. Prior to scoring his fantastic diving header in the 92nd minute against Germany, Rowe began his career with Norwich City. He has played 37 times in the Championship with the Canaries, scoring 12 times before spending last season on loan with Marseille.

Archie Gray was England’s second youngest player in the tournament at just 19 years of age. The Tottenham Hotspur man played in three of the matches for the Under-21s, displaying the talent that was served to him by his homegrown club Leeds United. Gray made 47 Championship appearances for Leeds in 2023/24, following his academy breakthrough.

Jay Stansfield played in every single Euros U21 game for England, despite playing League One football last season. The striker was bred through Fulham’s academy ranks, however made his mark on a League One loan to Exeter City in the 2022/23 season – making 36 league appearances for the Grecians.

U21 Euros Winner 🏆

Congratulations Jay! We are all so proud of what you’re achieving 👏🏻 #ECFC #SemperFidelis pic.twitter.com/F86yJHQWCl

— Exeter City FC (@OfficialECFC) June 28, 2025

Stansfield now plays permanently for Birmingham City, who have just found promotion back to the Championship. Becoming League One’s most expensive player in history saw the 22-year-old feature 37 times in the third-tier last term, scoring 19 along the way.

Southampton’s Ronnie Edwards is the man with the most EFL appearances in the squad, playing an astonishing 146 times. Despite him not displaying a single minute for England in the tournament, the 22-year-old is a true inspiration for non-league, after breaking through at National League level with Barnet.

Edwards was then picked up by Peterborough United, featuring 125 times with the Posh across the Championship and League One. The defender now plays for Southampton but spent the second half of last season on loan with QPR in the second tier.

(Ronnie Edwards Career Path: FotMob)

Hayden Hackney is in a similar position. He played 102 minutes in England’s tournament yet has also played EFL football in complete abundance. The midfielder graduated through Middlesbrough’s academy and has been there ever since – barring a loan spell to League Two Scunthorpe United in 2021/22. Hackney has played 101 times for Boro in the Championship.

The other four players to have come up through an EFL team are:

• Charlie Cresswell – Leeds United and Millwall (loan)
• CJ Egan-Riley – Burnley
• Tommy Simkin – Stoke City, Walsall (loan) and Forest Green Rovers (loan)
• Tom Fellows – West Brom and Crawley (loan)

A True Importance

The sheer amount of time spent in the English Football League by Lee Carsley’s U21 side just demonstrates how important the lower leagues are to the development of the household names we now see represent our country.

📅 11 years ago today...

⚽ A 17-year-old Harry Kane made his senior debut when on loan at Leyton Orient against Rochdale.

🙌 The rest is history. pic.twitter.com/59GctlmFYH

— SPORF (@Sporf) January 15, 2022

As well as the triumphant youth sides, England’s first team continues to feature players that have essentially birthed their careers with some of the 72 EFL sides. The three leagues are absolutely crucial to operate the footballing pyramid, as we see time and time again. They continue to act as the glue between the Premier League and non-League.

It also shows how all footballers have different journeys yet still find the same meeting point - no matter whether they started with one of England’s most elite, or grassroots football.