Any England fan will be feeling disappointed today, so we thought it might be good to look into the future, at a player who’s been showing plenty of promise in his native north east. Luke Williams, who turned 17 earlier this month, made his Middlesbrough debut last year, whilst also being part of the England squad that won the Under-17 European Championships earlier this year. He recently visited Umbro’s HQ, so we sat down with him for a quick chat about everything that’s been happening around him recently…

How did you feel about making your debut?

“I was really nervous! But getting on the pitch was brilliant. Everything seems so far away when you’re on the pitch, the crowd and all the noise seems like it’s on top of you, so it’s quite scary.

I’d been on the bench a few times, and I was supposed to make my debut at home against Blackpool, but someone else got injured so I missed out on that occasion. The week after that against Barnsley, I was on the bench and the manager said ‘go get warmed up and make sure you run’, so I thought I’d probably be coming on then!

Afterwards, it was mad. To go home and look at the paper and see myself on the back page, it’s just surreal.”

Why did you decide to sign with Middlesbrough?

“I’ve supported Middlesbrough all my life, and my family all support Middlesbrough, so it was a pretty easy decision to make. There was a few other clubs interested, but when Middlesbrough came in it didn’t matter. They’re also a good club to be at as a youngster. They’ve given me an opportunity already which you might not have got at another club.”

What are your ambitions for next season?

“For next season, my ambition is just to establish myself in the squad, do what I’ve been doing in training and try to establish myself in the first team.

For the team, the ambition for next season is definitely promotion. We thought we could’ve done it this season, but this year we definitely believe that we can do it. The gaffer has just instilled that in us more.”

What was it like to get called up into the England squad?

“I got my first call up for England at the start of this season, for the qualifiers for the Euros. Going over for the Euros, that was only the second time I’d been called up.

To wear the England shirt in a proper match, it’s just brilliant. I’ve got them all at home! We were in Leichenstein for the finals. We did celebrate when we won, not that I can say much about that!”

What do you get up to outside of football?

“We still go to college every Wednesday, that’s part of my scholarship. Apart from football, it’s just a normal life really, playing on the Xbox with my friends, winning all the time! The main games we have are FIFA, Fight Night, and we play Call Of Duty online all the time. Although I’ve broken a few controllers doing that! I still live with my mum, and she definitely tries to keep my feet on the ground, makes me do the jobs round the house.”

What would you do if a big Premier League club came and wanted you to sign for them?

“I’d probably want to stay at Middlesbrough, even if a big club came in. I’m still pretty young, staying with my family, and the club’s on the up at the moment. So I’d like to stay and help get them back into the Premier League.”