England Lions has confirmed the Under 19s squad who will head overseas to compete in the 2024 European Championship.

The Rugby League team includes three Cumbrian lads - Daniel Knott from Dalton Dragons, Joshua Blinkhorn from Millom RLFC and Tom Farren from Roose Pioneers.

The 20-man-strong development team will travelled to Serbia on Thursday.

Both Dan and Josh, who also play for Furness Raiders, will be playing abroad for the first time.

Dan will be representing England as a winger and said he is really proud of his achievement.

“I’m looking forward to testing myself against some high-level competition. I’m honoured to represent my country and hope that we can bring back some silverware," he said.

Josh, who is taking on the position of hooker, said: “I’m excited to play against some of the best players in Europe and prove myself on an international level. Hopefully bringing back some silverware.”

The team will be staying in Serbia for ten days and will spend most of their time training in the scorching heat, which is expected to reach highs of 39 degrees over the next week.

Tom, who will be playing both loose-forward and prop, has played abroad before as he used to play rugby Union in France but he said it is his first time travelling with a team.

He said: “I feel really honoured to have the opportunity to represent my country. The Lions program has helped me enhance my performances which I am very grateful for. I am excited to play in Serbia and test myself while gaining lots of experience and memories along the way. My grassroot club Roose Pioneers has been massively supportive throughout my Lion’s journey, and I am very appreciative of that. Being able to play with a good set of Cumbrian lads tops it all off.”

Aside from practice and taking part in recovery sessions, Tom said they will have the chance to explore Belgrade and spend time with teammates.

Dan said he's looking forward to watching the Euro football final with the rest of the team.

The 2024 Under 19s European Championship will bring together six nations - England, Italy, France, Scotland, Ukraine and Serbia, as the USA Youth team makes their debut.

Matches are scheduled for Sunday 14, Wednesday 17 and Saturday 20 July.

Serbia will face Ukraine and Scotland will play USA, with the winners going on to face England and France in the semi-finals.

As an extra challenge, England will also face Serbia’s U21 team on the first day of competition.