West Ham United’s Ajibola Alese has been named in the England U17s squad for this month’s Algarve Tournament.
The 17-year-old has been called up to Steve Cooper’s side for the competition in Portugal, with the squad heading out for the tournament next week.
England will play Portugal, Germany and Netherlands at the annual competition, with Alese getting the chance to impress at international level ahead of this summer’s European Championships.
"It's an honour to be called up to the England squad," Alese told whufc.com. "I've been capped at U15 and U16 level in the past so I know some of the boys already, and it's an opportunity to I'm really looking forward to."
The call-up comes after Alese made his West Ham U23s debut earlier this season, featuring in the first game of the campaign against Everton.
The defender has played four times in the competition this season for Terry Westley’s side and his strong performances at the back have seen Alese receive high praise.
However the campaign was interrupted for Alese by a lengthy injury, suffered at the beginning of the season, but now the centre-back is back and ready to show what he can do for both West Ham and England.
"I've recently come back from a long injury and I feel like I've done well in some very tough fixtures, so it's amazing to get international recognition in the few games I've played.
"Hopefully it will be a good experience and I'll be able to push on when I return with West Ham. I want to play as many games as possible, both for Club and country."