Jack Butland gives backing to Wolves loanee Benik Afobe

Butland landed the Uefa European Under-17 Championship title with the Wolves striker back in 2010 and the pair have since gone on to be full international – Butland with England and Afobe with DR Congo.

Afobe’s spell in the Premier League with Bournemouth yielded just 10 goals and Butland expects his former youth team-mate to rediscover his best form.

“I had Benik in the squad in 2010 and he has gone onto some great things,” said Butland, who was speaking at the launch of the Uefa European Under-17 Championships, which will be held in Walsall, Burton and the surrounding area in May. “He did not get the game time he would have liked at Bournemouth.

“I thought he deserved more and he played well but now he is back at Wolves he has re-discovered the form he had first time round so it is great to see him doing the business. He is a great player and will score lots of goals. He has struggled with injuries and that has held him back but now he is hitting the heights that we all know he is capable of.

“At Bournemouth it was tough and maybe he got crowded out because there was big competition for places but he has stuck at it and worked hard.

“When he was in the under-17s, we feared him. He was on the books at Arsenal and whenever we played them, he was the one we looked out for and feared. He was that good.

“He was an extreme talent and made a big difference in the U17s finals. He has been very successful since then.”

See the stars of tomorrow in the Uefa European Under-17 Championship, 4-20 May 2018. Visit www.TheFA.com/U17Euro for tickets and further information.