Young Lions left on the sidelines: England's U17s forced to use stars with little game time after glut of Premier League transfers

England’s Under 17s are in the unusual position of using five key players who are yet to feature for their club teams this season amid an epidemic of youth transfers between Premier League giants.

Most teams in the national Under-18 league have competed in half a dozen matches already this term but a collection of the country’s brightest talents have been left on the sidelines.

The likes of Manchester United’s David Eze, Mylo Bernard at Arsenal and Tottenham’s Kwasi Senyah went into this four-game international break with no minutes under their belts.

That is mostly down to the top clubs trading young stars in negotiations that went into the second month of the season, with players waiting for their moves to be ratified.

Deals in the younger age groups having been on the rise in what is becoming a fraught market. JJ Gabriel’s recent stand-off with United has further highlighted the power that teenagers have over their careers.

Plenty of England’s pool of talent had still not been given the green light to switch clubs long after the curtain-raiser in August, with United announcing Eze’s switch from rivals Manchester City last weekend.