7 of England's young talents that played their football abroad as Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori return
England are set to take on Andorra and Hungary in another two World Cup qualifiers over the next week and Gareth Southgate’s squad has seen the return of former Chelsea duo Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham.
The pair struggled to earn themselves a regular spot in the England set-up during their time with the London club, however a move abroad has won the pair a place for the Three Lions’ upcoming fixtures as they look to earn themselves a ticket to Qatar for next year’s World Cup tournament.
We look at seven of England’s young stars that have plied their trade elsewhere and see how they performed abroad...
1. Tammy Abraham - Roma
Tammy Abraham enjoyed brilliant loan spells in the Championship with Bristol City and Aston Villa before breaking into Chelsea's first team under Frank Lampard. The striker scored 15 league goals in the 2019-20 season, however the striker fell out of favour once Lampard was replaced by Thomas Tuchel. In August of this year Abraham joined Roma in a deal worth £34 million and has since been sensational for Jose Mourinho's side. The 24-year-old has made seven Serie A appearances - scoring twice and assisting two. The forward's form earned him his spot back in the England squad after last featuring in 2020. Photo: Francesco Pecoraro
2. Fikayo Tomori - AC Milan
Like Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori had fallen out of favour once Frank Lampard was replaced by Tuchel and so the defender decided to join Italian giants AC Milan permanently this season after a loan spell for the second half of the previous campaign. The 23-year-old has been brilliant for the Serie A club, featuring in all seven of their league matches so far as they sit second in the league - losing none and conceding only five. Tomori was called up to the England squad for the current international break after making his debut back in 2019. Photo: MARCO BERTORELLO
3. Emile Smith Rowe - RB Leipzig
After making his first team competitive debut for Arsenal in September 2018, Emile Smith Rowe joined RB Leipzig on loan for the second half of the 2018/19 season. However, the midfielder wasn't fully fit and only played a total of 28 minutes during his time in Germany. Smith Rowe went onto enjoy a more successful loan spell with Huddersfield Town before making his breakthrough at Arsenal and becoming a regular. The 21-year-old now plays in England's U21 side but wont be far off the senior squad if he continues his form. Photo: PATRIK STOLLARZ
4. Ryan Sessegnon - Hoffenheim
After lighting up the Championship with Fulham at just 16, Ryan Sessegnon signed for Tottenham Hotspur in 2019. The £25 million move hasn't gone quite as expected for the left-back and so Sessegnon was sent out on loan to Hoffenheim last season. Sessegnon was a regular in their team, making 23 league appearances and scoring twice. The 21-year-old failed to secure a second loan move away to Fenerbahce in the summer and has since featured three times for Spurs - none of which have been in the Premier League. Photo: Matthias Hangst