No regrets for McAtee before Euro 2025 final
- Published
England Under-21 captain James McAtee has "no regrets" choosing Euro 2025 over the Club World Cup.
The Manchester City midfielder has helped the Young Lions to Saturday's final against Germany in Bratislava.
He opted to go with Lee Carsley's side over City's Club World Cup campaign and will help England try to defend their title in Slovakia.
"It's a tough one to answer but I don't regret my decision at all. I'm happy I'm here and my focus is now tomorrow, it's not on the Club World Cup," he said on Friday when asked if reaching the final justified his decision.
"This would be a special occasion for me. I'm so excited to play tomorrow. It'll be a big achievement for me and my family.
"Some of the lads have played in some big games and I've not sensed any nerves, but I'm sure by tomorrow there will be some. Hopefully the lads do get it, so it means something to them."
McAtee scored in England's 3-1 quarter-final win over Spain, with the Young Lions also beating the Netherlands in Wednesday's semi-final.
The 22-year-old has also had messages of support from former City team-mate Liam Delap, who is playing for Chelsea in the Club World Cup.
He added: "I speak to Liam every day and he's happy for us. We're all happy for him, he's doing well. I've had a couple of messages from Taylor [Harwood-Bellis] so the lads back home are rooting for us and happy for us that we got here."