READING FC starlet John Swift has been rewarded for his stellar debut campaign in Berkshire by earning himself a ticket to Poland with the England Under 21 squad this summer.

The Young Lions will travel to eastern Europe for the European Championship tournament, which kicks off on June 16 when England face Sweden.

And Swift, 21, who was a key part of Jaap Stam's third-placed Reading side last season, has been named as part of Aidy Boothroyd's squad.

The Under 21s' boss said: "We have some good players and like for any international team, bringing them all together and getting them all to work as a single unit, that is always the challenging part.

“But we’ve got players with big game experience now, lads who have played in cup finals, play-off finals, big games and a couple of senior internationals."

Swift made 42 appearances for the Royals last season, scoring nine goals in total.

The young midfield maestro asserted himself immediately under Jaap Stam, scoring on his debut against Preston North End.

Bothroyd continued: “In this particular age group we have a very capable, mature squad with a nice balance between the soldiers and the artists, so I’m really looking forward to it.

“I think we’re well equipped on paper and it’s now about putting some hard work in on the grass, which we’ve been doing over the last three weeks to be ready for the tournament.”

Following their opener against reigning champions Sweden, England will face Slovakia on Monday June 19 before they round off the group stage against hosts Poland on Thursday June 22.