Stockport expects Three lions in five miles bring surge of pride

The nation will be gripped tomorrow when the Three Lions T hope to roar their way to victory in the men's Euros final, and one small area south of Manchester will be rooting for its own trio: Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Kobbie Mainoo, some of England's brightest young stars, who grew up within a few miles of each other.

- Hannah Al-Othman

Their home towns form a triangle. Palmer, 22, is from in Wythenshawe in Manchester, while the other two come from Stockport - Mainoo, 19, is from the suburb of Cheadle Hulme, while Foden, 24, grew up in Edgeley.

Here, bars, coffee shops and homes are decked out in England's red and white, as Mancunians and Stopfordians nervously await the big game. And for those who know the three England players, the excitement is even greater, and nerves even more frayed.

Everyone, football fan or not, is proud of their local talent.

Joe Makin is in his 30th season coaching Reddish Vulcans, where Foden played before he moved to Manchester City. "It wasn't just a normal little boy playing football.

You had a feeling something special was happening there when you were watching him," he says. "His balance, and the ability to turn and leave other children in his wake at seven years of age, it was something different."

On the street where Foden grew up, a stone's throw from Stockport County's ground, Edgeley Park, many of the houses are decked out with England flags. His grandmother still lives nearby, and he is regularly spotted in the street, and always happy to pose for a selfie with young football fans.