RISING Leeds United star Lewis Cook has been named in the England Under-19s squad for the forthcoming UEFA U19 Championships Elite Qualifying Round.

The 18-year-old, who has already been capped at U16s, 17s and 18s level, will travel to France as part of Sean O’Driscoll’s 18-man squad following Saturday’s Championship clash at Blackpool.

Cook has been a regular in the United side this season, making 36 appearances in all competitions after making the step up from the club’s Academy.

He should feature in tonight’s clash at Fulham alongside 20-year-old Alex Mowatt, with both midfield talents having attracted admiring glances from a clutch of top-flight clubs.

Head coach Neil Redfearn said: “Lewis is a fantastic young talent and part of a really strong midfield.

“He is obviously going to get that sort of attention and our midfield is playing well.

“We have probably the best midfield in this division, centrally, and teams are going to try and stop it.”

Tonight’s trip to Fulham, which could see the return of injured duo Rudy Austin (thigh) and Sam Byram (foot), should see Leeds come up against former strike duo Ross McCormack and Matt Smith.

Meanwhile, Kalvin Phillips and Lewis Walters have both been on the bench in recent games and Redfearn is expected to give them a chance to impress before the end of the season.

The former Academy boss said: “I’ve got a good idea of what the players here are about.

“But sometimes you need to experiment just to see how they actually look in the heat of battle.

“There’s a difference between an Under-21 game or training and actually being out there in front of 30,000 at Elland Road. There’s that to think about, but there’s time yet.

“It’s important that we still keep some momentum because momentum’s an important thing, especially when you’re going to try and hit the ground running next season.”