Brentford goalkeeper Patrik Gunnarsson has been named in the Iceland squad for the upcoming UEFA European Under-21 Championships. The Iceland squad was named on Thursday and Patrik was selected in the group. He will link up with his team mates next week ahead of the start of the tournament.
The Under-21 Championships will be taking place in two stages this year. The group stage will be held in Hungary and Slovenia later this month, with 16 teams competing in four groups of four. The eight teams who reach the knock-out stages will head back to Hungary and Slovenia in late May to decide who takes home the trophy.
Iceland are in Group C with Denmark, France and Russia. They start with a game against Russia on Thursday, 25 March, before taking on Denmark and then France. The top two in each group will reach the knock-out stages.
Patrik is currently with Danish NordicBet Liga side Silkeborg Idrætsforening, better known as Silkeborg IF, where he is on loan until the end of the season. The 20-year-old spent the first half of the campaign on loan with the current NordicBet Liga leaders Viborg Fodsports Forening, conceding just nine goals in 12 outings. He has played six games for Silkeborg and conceded only one goal as they have won every match.
Patrik joined Brentford B in the summer of 2018, aged 17. His performances for the B Team during his maiden season, which included a Middlesex Senior Cup title, earned him a place on the substitute’s bench for seven First Team games. He was called upon to make his Brentford debut in a Sky Bet Championship win at Middlesbrough in March 2019. He replaced Daniel Bentley for the final 16 minutes, plus eight minutes of stoppage time, as The Bees picked up a 2-1 win.
He signed a new long-term deal in West London in June 2019 and was officially promoted to the First Team squad three months later. An international at every level between Under-16 and Under-21, Patrik played three games for Southend United in February and March 2020 on an emergency loan. Patrik has ten caps at Under-21 level and was a part of the full Iceland squad for their Nations League A2 game against Belgium last September.