QPR star gets England u21 call-up as Sunderland and Birmingham City injuries confirmed

QPR star Ronnie Edwards has been called up to the England under-21 squad for fixtures against France and Portugal over the international break.

The Southampton loanee is spending the back end of the season at Loftus Road and has impressed so far, becoming a key part of Marti Cifuentes’ R’s set-up. The 21-year-old was signed by the Saints from Peterborough United for £3 million last summer.

Edwards has played for the England under-19 and under-20 set ups but is now making the step up with Lee Carsley’s under-21 side following the withdrawal of other players.

England under-21 side confirm withdrawals

An England statement read: “Ronnie Edwards has joined England MU21s ahead of their upcoming fixtures against France (21 March) and Portugal (24 March).

“The Southampton defender, who’s currently on loan at QPR and has made over 20 appearances for England MU19s and the Elite League squad, has now joined Lee Carsley’s squad for the first time as they continue preparations for this summer’s MU21 EURO in Slovakia.

“Meanwhile, Sunderland defender Dennis Cirkin, Birmingham City striker Jay Stansfield, and Borussia Dortmund forward Jamie Gittens will play no part in the upcoming fixtures and will remain with their clubs for further assessment.”

Sunderland man Cirkin picked up a problem against Coventry City last week and a Black Cats statement today said: “Dennis Cirkin will no longer join up with England Under-21s after picking up an injury during Saturday’s game against Coventry City.

“The defender, who had received his first call-up to Lee Carsley’s squad, was replaced in the second half and is now undergoing further assessments by the Club’s medical staff. Further updates will be provided in due course.”

Meanwhile, Stansfield has a ‘knock’ and Gittens has also returned to his club Borussia Dortmund for further assessment. QPR will be desperate to see Edwards come through the international break without injury.

QPR praise for ‘brilliant’ Ronnie Edwards

Cifuentes deployed the versatile player as a midfielder against Leeds United with his team blighted by injuries. Speaking after that match, the QPR head coach said: “The idea is to try and find solutions. Jonathan Varane is injured. Sam Field is injured. Jack Colback did a fantastic job today. I’m very happy with Jack because he played at a high level for 95 minutes at the end of a three-game week.

“We have Liam [Morrison] and [Morgan] Fox training at a very high level, pushing and knocking the door. In the last games I decided to pick Ronnie and [Steve] Cook to play together as the centre-halves but I think that Liam and Foxy deserve more minutes.

“That’s why in second halves we have been trying to keep them in the loop and keep them involved. Against West Brom, Liam came on and against Middlesbrough it was Foxy who came on. We are trying to find solutions because the number six position is so important for us.

“Ronnie has got the tactical awareness and the positional awareness to play in this position but also the quality to break lines and drive forward and to defend out of possession.

“He did brilliantly. It’s not his main position but in an emergency situation we have with the number six, as we have with the strikers. Today Michy [Frey] had to play 97 minutes and it’s not optimal but that’s where we are and we have to find solutions.”

In other news, this is how much promotion from the Championship would be worth to QPR, Millwall, Watford and rivals.