ADAM REACH has worked his way into contention for an England Under-21 call after a fantastic start to the season with Middlesbrough.

Reach has finally come of age on Teesside after a few years of threatening to do so having graduated from the club’s academy.

The 21-year-old, whose next birthday is in February, impressed again on Tuesday when he headed in Boro's first equaliser of the night before the epic penalties defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

That was the Chester-le-Street midfielder's eighth start of the campaign and he has also figured from the bench in the other three fixtures, highlighting just how much he is regarded by boss Aitor Karanka.

But his displays in Boro’s promising start to the campaign have also alerted Gareth Southgate, who is keeping his options open ahead of next month’s European Under-21s Championships play-off tie with Croatia.

Southgate, the former Boro manager, is already monitoring the displays of his old club, as he is keeping an eye on how Ben Gibson performs after the defender’s recent inclusion in the Under-21s get-togethers.

Gibson looks a strong contender to be involved against Croatia and there is every chance he will form part of the squad if England reach the finals in the Czech Republic next summer.

Reach, despite being 22 when the Euros come around, would still be eligible if he can force his way into the reckoning. Players under the age of 23 can remain with the squad provided they are under 21 at the start of the calendar year in which a two-year Euros campaign begins.

The winger has provided Karanka’s side with much-needed balance on the left flank after spells on loan with Bradford and Shrewsbury last season. His successful spell in League One led to an impressive pre-season, which prompted him to start the new campaign in the team.

Southgate is examining his options before the play-off with Croatia, particularly following news that Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse will miss out.

Ward-Prowse, a virtual ever-present for the Under-21s during the group stage, is sidelined for the next ten weeks with a fractured foot, so Reach could force his way into Southgate’s thinking for the first leg on Friday, October 10 at Molineux.

After the gruelling battle with Liverpool on Tuesday, Reach and the rest of the squad were given yesterday off but will train today before travelling to London for the Championship fixture with Charlton.

It remains to be seen whether the youngster stays in the side to face the Addicks after playing the full 120 minutes at Anfield before his involvement in the penalty marathon. Karanka could decide to freshen things up, with Emilio Nsue and Yanic Wildschut pressing to start.

Whoever plays, Reach is convinced that running a strong Liverpool team close in the Capital One Cup will boost Boro's promotion push.

He said: “I don’t think we can take any negatives from the game apart from obviously losing the shoot-out but we’ve got Charlton next in the Championship and some tough games.

“We’ll take a lot of confidence from that knowing we can challenge against top Premier League sides but we need to keep our feet on the ground when playing other teams in the Championship.”