Leeds United, Sunderland stars among six Championship talents primed for England duty at Euro ’28 | OneFootball

Jobe Bellingham, Archie Gray and Jack Clarke.

Euro 2024 is fast approaching but looking further ahead, these six Championship youngsters could be in line to play for England on home turf in 2028.

Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland) His older brother is already making a huge impact on the international scene and if all goes to plan, Jude and Jobe will be lining up alongside each other for England in the near future.

Jobe will always – somewhat unfairly – be compared to the extraordinary Real Madrid star, who will be difficult to match as he has swiftly established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world.

While one brother is taking the world by storm for Real Madrid and England, the other is making an impact on a smaller scale with Sunderland in the Championship.

Signed for around £3m from Birmingham City in the summer, the 18-year-old has been a shining light of Sunderland – who are sixth in the Championship – as they have enjoyed a strong start to this season.

The hype surrounding Jobe is nowhere near as strong as it was for Jude when he was breaking through at Birmingham, but the teenager is still among the brightest young talents in the Football League and his current spell at Sunderland *should* simply prove to be a stepping stone en route to bigger and better things.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) Centre-back is currently a problem position for Gareth Southgate, who is choosing to rely on a rusty Harry Maguire to play alongside the brilliant John Stones.

Maguire and Stones will both be in their mid-30s when Euro 2028 rolls around, so they will likely be replaced by Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori or Levi Colwill during the post-Southgate era following next year’s tournament.

But looking further afield, Harwood-Bellis is also preparing himself for a prolonged period as a fully-fledged England international.

The Manchester City youngster could consider himself unlucky that he did not get a Premier League loan this season after he shone for Burnley last term, but Southampton have provided him the opportunity to further hone his craft in the second tier.

Still only 21, Harwood-Bellis will be in the Premier League next season (with Man City or somewhere else) and he will accelerate towards senior England duty at that point.

Jack Clarke (Sunderland) The ex-Tottenham Hotspur is somehow still only 22 years old and he has bounced back with a vengeance following his underwhelming spell in North London.

The former Leeds United academy product has been in scintillating form for the Black Cats in the Championship for over a year with him being involved in 38 goals in his last 58 league appearances.

Clarke cost Tottenham around £10m when they bought him in 2019 and it will likely take a higher fee for Premier League clubs to prise him away from Sunderland in January.

According to our pals over at TEAMtalk, Brighton and Crystal Palace are among the clubs in the running to sign Clarke, who has done more than enough to earn himself a second chance at life in the Premier League.

England are currently spoiled for choice in wide areas but Clarke has the potential to be a bit special and the early career adversity he has had to overcome proves he is resilient enough mentally to cope with that jump when it comes.

Leif Davis (Ipswich Town) Leeds United let Davis out of their grasp for just £1m last year and going off his form for their Championship rivals, the Yorkshire outfit will be ruing this decision.

The full-back has six assists from 10 games this season as the Tractor Boys have taken the Championship by storm.

This is after he was involved in 17 (yes, SEVENTEEN) goals last term as Ipswich secured promotion from League One in 2022/23 and he’s now on track to register obscene statistics in the second tier.

Luke Shaw, Ben Chilwell and Kieran Trippier are firmly placed as England’s top three picks at left-back. Though with father time catching up to the Newcastle man – while the other two consistently struggle with injuries – the Three Lions will soon have to consider other options.

Davis is already not far off from being in the mix and his case for a call-up will only strengthen if he continues to shine at Ipswich under the impressive Kieran McKenna.

Archie Gray (Leeds United) Bellingham making waves in the Championship at the age of 18 is impressive, but 17-year-old Gray’s emergence this season has arguably been even more eye-catching.

The central midfielder earned rave reviews while progressing through the ranks at Elland Road and he has benefitted more than most from Leeds United’s relegation-enforced summer overhaul.

The teenager – who is the great-nephew of club legend Eddie Gray – has formed a solid partnership with ex-Chelsea man Ethan Ampadu and interest from Premier League clubs already cannot be far away.

But as enticing as a switch back to the big time may be, Gray is better off sticking with Leeds United (for now) as a full season as a Championship regular will be invaluable in the long run.

Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough) Michael Carrick’s managerial stint at Boro has been a rollercoaster but after failing in last year’s play-offs and their poor start to this season, they are fully back on track with five Championship wins on the bounce.

Barring attacking duo Chuba Akpom and Cameron Archer, 21-year-old Hackney was arguably Middlesbrough’s best player last term and this has continued into the early weeks of the new campaign.

The defensive midfielder has recently broken into the England U21 set-up and more tastes of international duty are in the offing for the promising youngster if his speedy progression is anything to go by.