ONE MORE YEAR WON’T HURT THEM
Like Phil Foden, these English players won’t have been too miffed about Euro 2020 being put back until next summer – there’s more time to shine...
MASON GREENWOOD
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed Greenwood is perhaps “the best finisher” he has seen. Genuinely two- footed and capable of scoring from outside the box, he scored 10 league goals last season from an expected goals mark of 3.39. Euro 2020 may have come too soon for an 18- year- old with only 13 league starts and four under- 21 caps, so a further year offers more experience – and Gareth Southgate could appreciate his habit of scoring as a substitute.
JUDE BELLINGHAM
The road to next year’s Wembley final can lead through Dortmund: just ask Jadon Sancho. BVB’S willingness to give English teenagers meaningful minutes in the Bundesliga and Champions League can comfortably propel them ahead of Premier League rivals. After making 44 appearances for Birmingham and a £ 25 million move, the 17- year- old Bellingham could soon join the competition for England’s midfield berths. As there are few automatic choices, there is an opportunity to impress Southgate in 2020- 21.
BUKAYO SAKA
Arsenal’s teenage assist king has been the flagship success of Mikel Arteta’s reign at the Emirates Stadium. With the declining Danny Rose currently deputy to Ben Chilwell, young Gunner Saka seems like a logical replacement, while the versatility of a player used everywhere from left- back to right- wing could make him a valuable squad member. So should his big- game mentality. There are reasons to fast- track him as well: Southgate may want to cap Saka quickly or risk Nigeria nipping in.
NICK POPE
Pope’s summer probably would have been spent sat on the bench at Euro 2020. Instead, a string of impressive performances for Burnley almost earned him the Golden Glove prize and strengthened his case to replace an increasingly erratic Jordan Pickford. Everton’s stopper was the continuity candidate, and Pope – with a solitary Three Lions start and only one previous campaign as a Premier League regular – may have been deemed too inexperienced. An extra season can certainly change that.
DANNY INGS
Ings’s sole England cap came so long ago that it was before Jurgen Klopp’s first game as Liverpool manager. He was set for a call- up before March’s matches were postponed, but even if a campaign of 22 top- flight goals proves an outlier, another year offers a chance to show the sharpness and finishing that makes him the clear and obvious backup to Harry Kane – especially if Marcus Rashford and Greenwood are playing in wider roles.
JAMES MADDISON
Last year, Southgate described the Leicester schemer as a No. 10 and pointedly said England hadn’t been playing with one. Simply, he hadn’t felt convinced by a midfielder he has only given 34 minutes of international action to. However, consecutive campaigns where the 23- year- old has ranked among the Premier League’s most creative players, and Brendan Rodgers’ regular use of him as a No. 8, have given the England gaffer reasons for reconsideration.
AARON WAN- BISSAKA
The priciest uncapped Englishman ever can count himself unlucky to play in a position where the Three Lions are fairly well stocked. But Kyle Walker had fallen out of favour with Southgate even before his lockdown breaches, and the Premier League’s most prolific tackler last season looks a more defensive option to Trent Alexander- Arnold and Kieran Trippier, who is 30 in September. Playing regular Champions League football for Manchester United in 2020- 21 definitely won’t hurt his case, either.
DEAN HENDERSON
He has turned out in League Two, League One, the Championship and Premier League in successive campaigns, with a swift rise suggesting the goalkeeper is both Manchester United and England’s future No. 1. Henderson boasted the third- best save percentage last term, bettering David de Gea and Jordan Pickford, and the squabble for his services has shown just how highly rated he is. He’ll be 24 when the Euros eventually get going. That’s not too young.
JACK GREALISH
Grealish is yet to receive a senior call- up, but the Aston Villa captain produced the best form of his career in the 10- month period between internationals. An extra 12 months offers more time to test the various alternatives for England’s attacking midfield roles: see Alex Oxlade- Chamberlain, Mason Mount, Dele Alli, Ruben Loftus- Cheek, Ross Barkley, Maddison, Foden and Grealish. Villa’s talisman dribbles the most and wins free- kicks for fun.