Wed 23 Nov
Time to read: 2mins
Jonathan Mitchell is determined to build on his first England Under 21 cap and maintain his development at Derby County.
The 21-year-old shot-stopper earned his first outing for the Young Lions in last week’s international friendly away to France.
Aidy Boothroyd’s side fell to a 3-2 defeat in what was a thrilling game, with Mitchell playing the whole game between the posts on his debut.
Mitchell, who has this season stepped up to be Scott Carson’s understudy, only received his first international call-up in October.
The promising young goalkeeper has revealed his delight becoming Derby’s latest international player – and says the experience has proved to be a valuable one so far.
Mitchell told RamsTV: “It was a real honour for me to play for my country.
“The result obviously wasn’t the one I wanted but it was fantastic to pull on the England shirt.
“It was step up in terms of playing against individuals that are at the highest level and it was an insight of the level you need to be at to play at the top.
“I knew a few days beforehand that I was going to play, so I was excited and also a little bit nervous too – but I had time to prepare by knowing in advance.
“I’ve loved the whole experience of being in the Under 21 set-up; I’ve had two call-ups now and got to know the squad.”
Mitchell, who turns 22 later this week, has made excellent progress since joining Derby from Newcastle United in the summer of 2014.
He made his first-team bow in January of this year in the Rams’ Emirates FA Cup Third Round tie against his hometown club Hartlepool United.
Mitchell also tasted first-team action earlier this season, impressing in Derby’s EFL Cup Round Three home encounter against Liverpool.
The custodian says he is continuing to learn and improve from the experienced people he is working alongside every day.
Still in the early years of his career, Mitchell believes he needs to ‘soak up everything like a sponge’.
He said: “I’m really enjoying it; training every day and being in the squad is something I can’t complain about.
“I just need to keep my head down, keep working and continue to learn and improve.
“There’s a wealth of experience here with Cars (Scott Carson), Wealey (Chris Weale) and Zuby (Pascal Zuberbühler); I have to be a like a sponge really and soak up as much as I can.
“I just want to continue to improve, listen and learn.”
