Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HUNGRY & FEARLESS Southgate excited by potential of young starlets untainted by past failures in an England shirt
GARETH SOUTHGATE believes England’s young lions will be “fearless” this summer and not weighed down by expectation and past disappointments.
And he said some of his squad still do not realise just how good they could be.
The England boss has selected the third youngest squad in the nation’s World Cup history – with an average age of 26 – and 18 of them have never played on football’s biggest stage.
But rather than see a lack of experience as a negative, he has an unshakeable belief in his starlets which has convinced him their youth is a winning quality.
Southgate said: “I don’t see it as a gamble and I don’t think being free of inhibition is gambling.
“I think it’s being fearless in how we want to play, being brave enough to put people in and not think, ‘Well, he’s the best player but he’s young, maybe we should pick a lesser player who’s a bit more experienced’.
“You can make excuses at times for not putting young people in. We talk a lot about experience, but if the experience is not a good one, that can damage people’s thinking. When the experience is a bad one, you suddenly realise, ‘Actually, what is there to lose?’.
“That’s probably where I am in my life, so that can be a positive because you’re free of the shackles. I think the public recognise where we’re at. To give this team a bit of space would be good.
“That’s not me looking to buy time as whoever sits in this chair in six months’ time or two years, I think it’s the right thing for England.
“Allowing these players to grow and fulfil their potential is the right thing to do.
“I feel that the players we’ve picked are free, they’ve got a point to prove, they’re hungry. They’re not where they want to be yet. Talking to them individually they have loads they want to do in their careers. That brings energy and competition right across the squad.”
Southgate speaks with a passion about young players which must come from his time as Under-21 chief, but also from England’s recent successes through the age groups as the U17s won their
World Cup and the
U19s the Euros last summer.
It may prove to be foolhardy and misguided faith, but Wayne Rooney’s ‘Golden Generation’ never lived up to their hype or reputations for England.
The Three Lions go to Russia with expectations at an all-time low, but Southgate believes the likes of Ruben Loftus-cheek (below), in particular, can be unexpected success stories this summer.
Southgate added: “What gives me optimism? I see such exciting players coming through. Some of them, I don’t think they know how good they might be.
“I’m looking at Ruben a couple of weeks ago at Crystal Palace. He’s having a huge impact on the game and there’s still more to come. He’s six feet four, he’s technically outstanding, he can beat players, he can dribble past players, he can retain the ball, he can slide passes.
“I’m thinking, go on, go again. He just needs to keep progressing and needs time to do that. That applies to so many of them because of the point they’re at. That’s the beauty of the age they’re at.
“OK, we know what they don’t have but what’s just around the corner for them?
“And the ones just beneath them as well. That’s what really excites me.
“There’s not a player in the squad I would have concerns about starting in the first match. That’s why we have picked who we have picked. If I had put in Jadon Sancho or Ryan Sessegnon I think it’s just too early for them.
“But not for Trent Alexander-arnold and Ruben – and we are ignoring the fact that Raheem Sterling and John Stones are 23, still young players.
“A lot of those have a couple of tournaments behind them and it’s a good time for them to step up.”