Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media

Max Wilkins

Sun 29 March 2026 9:30, UK

Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba has taken the step up to the England first team while away from West Bromwich Albion.

The 19-year-old has been a bit-part player at The Hawthorns since returning on a loan deal from Aston Villa in January.

That didn’t stop the attacking midfielder from earning a call-up to the Three Lions’ under-20s squad for the March international break.

The loanee was a second-half substitute in the youth side’s clash with Italy in an all-action 3-3 draw at the Riano Athletic Centre in Rome.

Jimoh Aloba clearly caught the eye with England as he stepped up to train under Thomas Tuchel, something that will be music to the ears of the Baggies.

Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba trains with England seniors

The 2026 World Cup is on the horizon, and a recent friendly clash with Uruguay at Wembley kick-started preparations.

A 1-1 draw in the capital was hugely dull and left many with frustrations about what they had seen from the Three Lions.

Despite the squad’s quality, plenty of new faces were introduced, and the performance was certainly disjointed.

West Brom fans won’t necessarily care about the result with their side in a relegation battle, but could seek to benefit from Jimoh-Aloba’s experience over the international break.

Jacob Tanswell reported ahead of the Wembley friendly that the youngster was one of three U20 stars to step up and train with the first-team at St George’s Park.

It is further proof of how highly rated the Villa academy starlet is at this early stage of his senior career.

Jimoh-Aloba is yet to make a true breakthrough at West Brom, but after this experience could make a major difference moving forward at The Hawthorns.

How Jimoh-Aloba can now save West Brom from relegation

Young players can benefit more than most from training with players of a better quality, and the England squad certainly provides that compared to the Baggies.

The young attacker may have missed out on linking up with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers and Harry Kane, but top players still featured in his sessions.

Jimoh-Aloba would have featured alongside Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, John Stones and plenty of others in his first-team training experience.

That experience will be invaluable to a 20-year-old, and that step up in class could kickstart his Hawthorns career moving into the final seven games of the Championship season.

If he has learned from these true star names, West Brom could seek to benefit from the Villa loanee if he can hit the ground running after the international break.