Mengi reflects on a 'special moment' with England U21s ahead of a 'massive push' to keep Luton up

Luton defender Teden Mengi was left to reflect on a ‘special moment’ as he made his England U21s debut last night, before swiftly turning his attention to doing all he can to ensure the Hatters remain a Premier League side this season.

The 21-year-old had looked like he would miss out on his chance with the Three Lions, having had to withdraw from Lee Carsley’s squad that travelled to Azerbaijan for a 5-1 Euro 2025 qualifying victory on Saturday, returning to Kenilworth Road for an injury assessment. However, declared fit enough to rejoin his team-mates, Mengi was on the bench at the Toughsheet Stadium in Bolton as England faced Luxembourg.

With the hosts 4-0 up, the centre half was introduced on the hour mark, adding to the caps he has won at U15, U16, U17, U18 and U20 level, as fellow replacement Morgan Rogers scored the first of his two goals with his very first touch, Sam Iling-Junior also on target in what was a 7-0 victory. Writing on Twitter, Mengi said: “Special moment, special group. What a way to have the shirt back on. Now all focus on a massive last push.”

The defender will now be looking to start as Luton’s final push for safety starts in north London on Saturday, as they travel to Tottenham Hotspur for the first of their final nine matches of the campaign, Town currently one place and one point outside of the relegation zone. Mengi, who has made 28 appearances for the Hatters since arriving from Manchester United in August, is confident his side can beat the odds and stay up, especially after they salvaged a late point against Nottingham Forest recently.

He added: “It was good to get a late goal, I feel like we deserved a lot more from that game. It was a tough game, an important game for us and at least we got something which we’re happy about. We’ve just got to keep it going. We’re surprising people each game, so I’ve got all the faith in this team and I definitely think we can stay up. We’ll keep scoring and we’ll keep challenging opponents and keep being the underdogs that we are.”