Tino Livramento: Admired by Tuchel, impressing Cole – a ‘future England captain'

New York Times

11 hours ago

Tino Livramento is continuing to make an impression.
After a fine Premier League season for Newcastle United, he began the Under-21 European Championship with a player-of-the-match display in England's opening 3-1 win against the Czech Republic.
It came as no shock to Ashley Cole — perhaps England's best-ever left-back — who is the assistant manager to England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley.
Advertisement
Livramento joined Chelsea's academy when Cole was still a player there in 2009, and Cole now believes Livramento has a 'got a beautiful, bright future' for the national team.
The 22-year-old Livramento made his full international debut in November against Ireland, and of those in the England Under-21 squad, he may be the one most worthy of a spot with the seniors.
But the trip to Slovakia for the Under-21 European Championship has given Livramento a chance to experience his first international tournament at any age level and the chance to be reunited with an idol of his in Cole.
'Ashley gets involved in the sessions,' Livramento said in a post-match press conference. 'Watching him, he's still at the highest level in the way he communicates with all the boys. As a coach, he's a bit more laid-back.
'He sees things. He lets you train and he might pull you to the side after and do a little bit of one-to-one work. Obviously, as a Chelsea fan when I was younger, that is a big thing for me to learn.'
Cole, who was capped 107 times for England and won 16 trophies with Arsenal and Chelsea, is expertly qualified in the art of the modern full-back.
His coaching journey has been varied, initially stepping into a role at Derby County after he retired in 2019, and then combining work at Chelsea's academy with the England Under-21s role in 2021. He soon joined Frank Lampard's staff at Everton in 2023 and had a stint on Wayne Rooney's staff at Birmingham City in 2024 before rejoining Carsley in the national set-up.
Lee Carsley and Ashley Cole out ahead of England U21's open training session this morning pic.twitter.com/PzO5PrbfWD
— Art de Roché (@ArtdeRoche) June 14, 2025
'I had the fortune to be around him (Livramento) when he was at Chelsea,' Cole told reporters after England's opening game. 'He was in the 21s. You always saw the passion and level he could get to. There's only a certain level of information we can give him (as coaches). It's down to the players to take on that information, absorb it, and want to learn, listen, develop and improve. He's one of those players.
Advertisement
'Him getting the opportunity at Newcastle and continuing to play first-team football gave him the belief, the confidence in his ability. And a manager (Eddie Howe) that's trusted him to play at such a young age. He had a big fee going to Newcastle (£40million), and he's developing into a top player.'
Livramento's first steps into a first-team environment came when he left Chelsea for Southampton in 2021 for a reported £4million with a buy-back clause. Just 18 at the start of that season, the full-back played 28 Premier League matches before suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
'Injuries can make or break people,' Theo Walcott, Livramento's former Southampton team-mate says. 'His work ethic in that injury process was second to none; it was incredible. He could have sulked about things, but he was the first one there and the last one to leave because he always wanted to put in more work. You just knew (he'd make it).
'He'd take on information and he's such a good listener. When you get an injury like that, you can feel sorry for yourself. But he actually thought 'It's an opportunity for me to do other things and build on myself', and he got his move to Newcastle.'
Livramento seems to be thriving under Cole's tutelage, even if Cole is quick to point out the differences in their games. 'We have a different style of play, but it's just trying to give him the basics of how to defend all areas of the pitch, and see how he develops,' Cole said.
'My game was a lot of understanding puzzles and what's going on, asking 'Where's the next pass going to be?', and trying to anticipate it. I try to give that little bit of knowledge as if I'm playing. I can't run anymore, so it's more gob. But I don't want to make them overthink as well. They've got to find themselves.'
That reluctance to over-coach comes through in Livramento, too. When asked about playing full-back on both sides, the Newcastle defender said he did not feel much difference. 'Ultimately, you're a footballer and you've got to this level by doing what you want to do,' Livramento said.
Advertisement
Reaffirming Cole's desire not to over-coach, Carsley looks to give players up to three clear points to focus on. In the win over the Czech Republic, it seemed clear that Livramento was given the freedom to drive up the pitch with the ball and cross into the box; it was how England got their first two goals of the night.
Going into this tournament, England manager Thomas Tuchel highlighted the importance of seeing Livramento in more of a leadership role. Tuchel personally told the full-back it would be a better use of his summer than being with the senior group against Andorra and Senegal.
'He could have sobbed about it and had a holiday, got on with things and probably had a really good season and still go to the World Cup (next summer),' says Walcott.
'He's kind of a right-footed Gareth Bale in stature and the way he runs. He'd be the perfect wing-back. (At Southampton) at no point did I think about going up against him. There was just no point. I was a bit older and he was physically stronger. I was still quick but thought, 'Why am I going to test myself against someone who is physically in a better position than me?
'Working with Eddie Howe and the whole community of English guys around him; that's part of why Tuchel feels it's important for him to be at this tournament. He is a potential future England captain, just because of his presence and how he is around the place.'
Livramento's ability to absorb information has stood out in his career, particularly in Newcastle's League Cup final win over Liverpool.
'In that game, he showed the levels he can get to,' Cole says. 'As a coach, you stand on the sidelines and see how much information he takes on board. And I keep saying it, but the willingness to want to learn and be the best is always a great trait to have.
'Whatever level he wants to get to, he can — because of his personality and desire.'