HOW SAINT GEORGE MISSED THIS DRAGON

England coaches let Ampadu go as he took ‘too few touches’

ENGLAND’S coaches have been put in the dock after claims they rejected the chance to sign Chelsea’s Wales sensation Ethan Ampadu.

The Three Lions set-up have been accused of turning down the chance to land Ampadu three years ago because he took “too few touches” on the ball.

The midfielder – whose dad is Arsenal Under-18 coach Kwame Ampadu (right) – turns 18 on Friday and has earned rave reviews for his performances for Ryan Giggs’ senior side against the Republic of Ireland (celebrating with Aaron Ramsey, circle) and Denmark.

The displays have led to calls for the former Exeter starlet to be fast-tracked into Chelsea’s first team.

But while Ampadu is rated by the Welsh and at club level, he was snubbed by the England set-up when his former Exeter boss, Paul Tisdale, called them to press his claims.

Tisdale (right) told Radio 5 Live: “I haven’t seen a 14-year-old as good as Ethan Ampadu. I actually phoned England to make it known. I spoke to the very relevant people and I said, ‘You’ve got to get hold of this chap, he’s such a good player’.

I said, ‘He’s just played for Exeter Under-14s. He’s 14 years young.

“‘He’s just played on a dreadful pitch, with awful conditions, and he’s played centre-forward, sweeper, central midfield – all in the space of one game. This chap, you need to get for England’. I was told they had

better. I was told they had 12 players better and that they were aware of Ethan. I said, ‘This chap thinks correctly, he acts correctly, he makes good decisions’.

“I was told that he takes too few touches. They were looking for players who want to take more touches, but it’s actually his strength.

“He does things in one touch, two touch. He sees it early.”

The remarkable claim comes in the week that England head coach Gareth Southgate bemoaned his lack of midfield options.

It also comes as Everton rising star Ademola Lookman has been pondering his international future, with Nigeria keen to turn the England U21 into a full international in Africa.

The 20-year-old Toffees winger, an U20 World Cup winner with England, still has time to switch to the country of his parents.

London-born Lookman has made 27 appearances for various England teams – including in that 2017 World Cup final when the Young Lions beat Venezuela – although he is thought to be leaning towards sticking with England.

Other players to slip through the England net recently include Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, now with the Ivory Coast, and Adnan Januzaj, now playing for Belgium.