The 19-year-old defender was part of the squad that travelled to southern Germany for City’s pre-season training camp before receiving a late call to join up with the England Under 19s ahead of the European Championships in the Czech Republic.
We caught up with Ben before he joined up, where he told us his latest bit of good news: “Yes, I was called up for the England Under 19s. I was originally on standby but luckily enough for me I was called to join the squad.
“The Under 19s Euro Championships, not everyone gets to have a crack at that, so I can’t wait and hopefully I’ll get a few games.
“We’ve got a group of tough games, we take on the hosts, the Czech Republic in our first game. Italy are in our group and Greece as well, so we’ll do well to get out of it, but I think we’ve got a good team and do alright.”
But with Ben an unused substitute last night against the Czech’s, the Young Lions were defeated by two second half goals to nil, but they remain hopeful of qualifying after Greece and Italy played out a 1-1 draw.
Back at Club level though, things are good for Ben, after progressing from the Platt Lane Academy to Carrington for this coming season.
And he added: “I went to Germany for the pre-season camp until my call-up and that was a good experience. The new Manager has come in and set down an early marker for us all.
“He’s been tough with us at the start of this pre-season and that’s been good to help get our fitness back. It can only be a good thing because we’ve got an early game, which is of course a competitive one, trying to qualify for the UEFA Cup.
“It’s a fresh start for me coming up from Platt Lane to Carrington and it’s a good time for me and the other lads to show what we can do and impress the Manager. It’s a good opportunity for everyone.
“It’s been a good few months experience-wise, I’ve done quite a bit over the last few months, so hopefully I can keep gaining experience and move on further and further.”
