Freeman eager to be let loose against Turkey

Just three days after losing 4-0 to Germany, England have to defeat Turkey in Gotha on Tuesday to have any chance of progress in the UEFA European Under-17 Championship but attacker Luke Freeman is not giving up hope.

Ready to go
Freeman hit the headlines as a 15-year-old in November 2007 when he became the youngest ever player to take part in the FA Cup proper with former club Gillingham FC. Now with Arsenal FC and since last month on professional terms, Freeman was a lively presence in the opening 1-1 Group B draw with the Netherlands and having sat out the defeat by the hosts on Saturday is eager to get going again.

Confidence
"I think the boys are confident," Freeman told uefa.com. "After the game the other day we were a bit sore, we hadn't been beaten in European qualifiers up until then. It was a big result, we lost 4-0, but we are confident we'll do well against Turkey." As for his opening performance, he added: "I thought I did well. As soon as Holland got their first goal their back four was tight and compact and they had a player sitting in front of their back four, so it was hard for any kind of movement."

International experience
Part of the England set-up for more than a year, Freeman is a believer in the benefits of international football. "When you are at your club you see the other players week in, week out, you know what they're about," he said. "But when you come away with England you only really see them three or four times a year. You have to mix with them quickly and get down to playing football."

Arsenal connection
However, he is happy to be alongside Arsenal colleagues Benik Afobe and Jack Wilshere in the squad. "It is always good to see the Arsenal boys," Freeman said. "If you are feeling a bit down you can also go and talk to them." He even played against club-mate Oguzhan Özyakup, who captains the Netherlands. "It was weird. You see Ozzy week in, week out at the club so it's weird to play against him rather than with him."

Standard bearers
Also alongside him at Arsenal are several older players with U17 experience, including Rhys Murphy, Gavin Hoyte and Henri Lansbury, who reached the 2007 final in Belgium. "I watched them on telly before I went to Arsenal thinking how good it would be to be there," Freeman said. "They often speak about it, to say what a good experience it was."