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Who is Cochrane - the man tipped to replace Boothroyd as England U21s boss?

  /  autty

Could the 'impossible job' be done by an unknown quantity?

Aidy Boothroyd's recent departure as England Under-21s boss has led to speculation over who will take over as head of the Young Lions, with the likes of Chris Wilder, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole all touted as options.

But the clear favourite for the role is unknown coach Justin Cochrane, who currently leads the England Under 17s having been a youth coach at Tottenham earlier in his career.

The England Under-21s role, described by Boothroyd as football's 'impossible job', may not be the biggest on the international scene.

But given Gareth Southgate's rise from youth coach to national team boss and the likes of Phil Foden, Harry Kane and John Stones making the same step up in a playing capacity - Cochrane's appointment could signal a new direction.

Sportsmail examines the 39-year-old's career to date and why he could be the new young coach England's most high-profile youth team is looking for.

WHAT WAS HIS PLAYING CAREER LIKE?

Cochrane enjoyed a fruitful 13-year as a professional but spent the entirety of his career in the Football League or non-League.

The centre-back, who could also play in midfield, came through the ranks at QPR and made his debut for the west Londoners on the final day of the 2000-01 First Division season against Stockport - but was sent off just minutes into his professional debut.

He was then loaned out to non-League side Hayes in 2002 but made his return to the Football League with Crewe Alexandra, Yeovil Town, Rotherham and Millwall.

Cochrane's only experience of international football as a player came for Antigua and Barbuda. The centre-back played 14 times for the Caribbean side, including a number of appearances in their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.

He also had a short stint at Carribean side Antigua Barracuda FC but ended his career in England, with his last career club being Boreham Wood in the 2012-13 season.

But Cochrane had a passion for coaching throughout his career, with his managerial journey starting when he was 17 years old and looking to break through into the QPR team.

WHERE HAS HE COACHED BEFORE?

His journey began at Under-10 level when he founded a team in north London while still at QPR. While he was playing non-League, he also picked up a degree in Leadership and Management from the Open University.

This experience was vital in him getting a youth team coach role at Tottenham later in his career where he worked on across several squads - from Under 12s to Under 23s.

Cochrane worked alongside the likes of now-Fulham boss Scott Parker, who began his coaching career at youth level with Spurs and the pair would occasionally take the Under 19s in the UEFA Youth League.

It was also where he first met Tottenham's former Head of Academy officer John McDermott, who has recently been appointed as the FA's technical director who helps to dictate England's 'DNA' - ranging from the youth team to the senior squad.

McDermott and Cochrane helped bring several Spurs stars through the youth system and into the first-team squad, including Oliver Skipp, Japhet Tanganga and Ryan Sessegnon.

The trio were all picked for England's most recent Under-21 European Championship squad which saw Boothroyd's men exit at the group stage once again.

Cochrane's work at Spurs was noticed by England and was he appointed as the Three Lions U15s head coach in 2018. This led to a promotion to the U16s a year later before he became U17s coach in September 2020.

His rise through the ranks and his knowledge of the youth system also saw him appointed as England's chief of their Youth Development Phase, which covers the progression of all players between U15 and U17 level.

Cochrane has also worked alongside Boothroyd at several Under-21 training camps so he has significant knowledge of most players in the England set-up - from the teenagers to the senior stars.

A NOD FROM GARETH SOUTHGATE?

His work at England youth level has been noticed by several in the Three Lions set-up, none more so than senior boss Southgate.

Once an England youth coach and now controlling the Three Lions' fate ahead of this summer's European Championship, Southgate knows what makes a youth coach special having overseen the likes of Steve Cooper and Paul Simpson guide Young Lions to World Cup victories.

The England boss said in 2020: 'We have some very good young black coaches coming through our development teams.

'Justin Cochrane is somebody who I think, within our group of national coaches, he is going to be a top coach.'

Cochrane also has experience with working alongside Southgate's right-hand man, Steve Holland.

The pair worked together when Cochrane was at Crewe Alexandra as a player and he admitted using some of Holland's methods in his coaching journey.

Cochrane told the FA in 2018: 'I signed for Crewe Alexandra, a club who has a reputation for developing young players.

'We were in the Championship at the time, but looking back at it now, everything was run in a development type of way and I remember my first training session was taken by Steve Holland, who is now the England assistant coach.

'I was only 21 myself and there were only a couple of players older than me in the squad but the methods that were applied there, I used in my career when I started coaching so I’ve always had that development mind and wanted to help young players fulfill their potential.'

Now set for the biggest promotion of his career, Cochrane could be helping this country's biggest stars in making the all-important jump to the senior squad.