West Ham United Academy winger Dan Kemp hopes to make his England debut when the Young Lions kick-off at the Toulon Tournament in France on Monday.
The teenager, who helped the Hammers win promotion to Premier League 2 Division 1 earlier this month, has been included in Neil Dewsnip’s 18-man squad, which includes players form U18, U19 and U20 age-groups.
Kemp has enjoyed a memorable season, totalling 29 Premier League 2, EFL Trophy and U18 Premier League appearances for the Hammers’ last season, scoring three goals and assisting five more, before being named on the Premier League substitutes’ bench for the final-day fixture at Burnley last weekend.
England won the tournament last summer and will kick-off the defence of their title by tackling Angola at the Stade de Lattre in Aubagne on Monday 29 May, followed by further Group A fixtures with Cuba at the Stade d'Honneur Marcel Roustan, Salon-de-Provence on Thursday 1 June and Japan in Aubagne on Sunday 4 June.
“I’m delighted,” confirmed the 18-year-old Kemp. “It’s always a dream to be called up for England and I’m honoured to have been called up for my country, so hopefully I can make my debut while we’re over there.
“I want to kick on now and play a lot of games for England and keep moving forward. England won the tournament last season and it’s an excellent competition, so it’ll be an amazing experience and I’m over the moon.
“I’m really pleased with how the season has gone. It’s been a great one for me and my best to date.”
The 12-nation tournament also features hosts France, Brazil, Scotland and Wales, with the three group winners and best-placed runner-up qualifying for semi-finals. The final will be played in Aubagne on Saturday 10 June.
Among the future stars to feature in previous editions of the competition were former Hammers Javier Mascherano and Ricardo Vaz Te, as did Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, Rui Costa, James Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo.
For more information about the 2017 Toulon Tournament, click here.