Ugo Ehiogu added to England U20s coaching staff
Ugo Ehiogu will be joining up with the England U20s squad as part of the coaching staff for this summer’s FIFA U20 World Cup in Turkey.
The former England, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough defender will be part of head coach Peter Taylor’s staff in an observation capacity as part of his coach education programme.
Ehiogu, 40, is due to complete his UEFA A Licence at St. George’s Park in June and has been working with the junior teams at the Tottenham Hotspur Academy since August.
And after a career which saw him play over 350 Premier League games, he will be able to pass on some of his vast experience to the young players in the squad.
Speaking about the opportunity of working in a World Cup with England, Ehiogu said: “I’m absolutely delighted to be involved, the call came as a welcome surprise.
“It should be a great experience and I hope that everyone can make the most of it, enjoy it and try to come back with trophy.
“Peter Taylor has a lot of experience that I can tap into and learn from by being part of the back-room staff.
“I’ve seen Peter about at games and we’ve had a good chat about things and I’m really looking forward to joining up and working together.
“I’ve done a couple of prep courses and I start my A Licence in May, so it’s something that I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m fortunate that I’ve been able to get some experience and regular work with Spurs, but there’s a massive amount of knowledge to pick up and use.”
Taylor added: “There were some names mentioned regarding pros who were finishing their careers and wanting to go into coaching and it’s something that The FA are quite rightly encouraging.
“We want our good players, especially those who have played at international level, to stay in the game and to pass on their good experience to younger players.
“And when Ugo’s name came up, I thought he was perfect and I’m looking forward to working with him.
“I think it’s good to see ex-players going through the courses and getting their badges.
“Sometimes, players just wake up one day and say they want to be a coach, but it just can’t be done that way.
“You have to go through the long process of working and studying and when they do that, you know they are very serious about it.
“I’ve spoken to Ugo about things and he’s really looking forward to it so it will be very good for our players, particularly the defenders, to talk to Ugo about things.”
England will face opposition from Chile, Iraq and Egypt in the group stage, from their World Cup base in Antalya.
The draw for the group stages took place in Istanbul last month and England’s first game will be against Iraq on Sunday 23 June before facing Chile three days later.
Egypt provide opposition for the final group game in Bursa on Saturday 29 June.
From The FA