McAtee pays tribute to Baldock after England U21s goal

James McAtee pays tribute to his former Sheffield United team-mate George Baldock

James McAtee paid tribute to his former Sheffield United team-mate George Baldock after scoring for England Under-21s against Ukraine.

England-born Greece international Baldock was found dead in the swimming pool of his house in Glyfada, southern Athens on Wednesday at the age of 31.

McAtee, 21, played with Baldock during two seasons on loan at Sheffield United from Manchester City.

He scored both England goals in a 2-1 win over Ukraine in a European Under-21 Championship qualifier at the Vitality Stadium.

After scoring the first goal, McAtee lifted his shirt to reveal a message which read 'GB 2 REST EASY BROTHER X'.

GB refers to Baldock's initials while two was his squad number at the Blades.

Taras Mykhavko opened the scoring from a corner in the 70th minute for the away side before McAtee's free-kick and added-time winner gave England the win.

England close the gap on their opponents to two points at the top of Group F.

James McAtee (right) played with George Baldock at Sheffield United in 2022-23 and 2023-24

'An absolute pleasure to manage'

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder says he has been left "stunned and numb" by the death of Baldock.

Baldock left Bramall Lane for Panathinaikos in the summer after making 219 appearances for the Blades, with the majority of them coming under the leadership of Wilder, who is in his second stint in charge of the club.

A visibly emotional Wilder paid tribute to the right-back, who he described as a "huge personality" and key figure in the club's promotions to the Premier League in 2019 and 2023.

"Obviously through your life you lose people that you love and you respect, but this just feels completely different to everybody. Everybody's just absolutely stunned and numb really. It is just tragic," Wilder said.

A fan favourite, Baldock was known as 'Starman' to Sheffield United supporters, who would often sing to the tune of the David Bowie song of the same name as the full-back raced down the right flank.

"He wasn't one to grab the headlines but George was a huge personality, a huge driver, a huge culture carrier in everything we did," Wilder added, in an interview released by the club.

"He was a humble person. We had rows, we had bust-ups, but we were all driving it forward and after the same outcome in everything that we did.

"Just even thinking about it now, families have lost a son, players have lost a brother. Those boys that went to battle with George, and he stood up to every challenge.

"He was an absolute pleasure to manage. He gave his maximum in everything he did and that's what every Sheffield United fan wants."