Loughborough College has been talking to BBC radio as former student Ben Chilwell prepares to make his senior England debut.
Gareth Southgate named the 21 year old Premier League winner with Leicester City for tonight’s friendly against Switzerland and the BBC’s Helen McCarthy heard live from Ben’s former tutor at the College, Steve Wilkinson, ahead of the game.
“I’ll be there tonight cheering Ben on. He was really good in the classroom and hopefully we will see that on the pitch tonight.
“I taught him for BTEC Sport and he was always very focused and very motivated, choosing to do extra work and ending up with a qualification equivalent to three A-levels as a result.
“Hopefully he will enjoy the whole experience of being with the senior England squad and he’ll get the chance to play and perform well in front of a home crowd.”
Ben has represented England at under-21 level and impressed in the goalless draw with Holland last week but has yet to make a senior appearance. After travelling to St George’s Park on Sunday to begin training the left-back said: “I have been at Leicester since I was 12 and to play for England at the King Power is obviously going to be my dream. All I can do is keep trying to knock on that door.”
Listen to Loughborough College’s Steve Wilkinson on BBC Radio Leicester 1 hour 32 minutes in here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/play/p06hqckf
Pictured: Former Loughborough College student Ben Chilwell (right) ahead of his senior England football debut with (centre) Harry Maguire and Demarai Gray