5 players with an outside bet of making the England squad this summer | Euro 2020 Watch

#2 Nathaniel Chalobah - Watford

Nathaniel Chalobah may have found his form at just the right time for another England run

Watford’s Nathaniel Chalobah was capped by England back in October 2018, coming on as a late substitute in the Three Lions’ 2-3 Nations League victory over Spain, but since then he’s seen his career largely curtailed by a mixture of injuries and management issues at his club. Since Nigel Pearson took over at Vicarage Road though, the former Chelsea man has seen a resurgence in form.

Chalobah has been deployed by Pearson as a deep-lying holding midfielder alongside Etienne Capoue in a double-pivot system, screening the Watford defence, and not only is he finally receiving a solid run of games in the Hornets’ first team, he’s also been very impressive, particularly in recent games against Tottenham, Bournemouth and Wolves.

Holding midfield is an area that Southgate doesn’t really have too many options; Eric Dier has been out of form for some time now at Tottenham, while Declan Rice has seemed to struggle for West Ham in recent months and also didn’t fully convince during his most recent games with England. Jordan Henderson and Harry Winks seem to have their spots for Euro 2020 booked, but neither is a true holding man like Chalobah is.

Add in the fact that the Chelsea academy product is a known favourite of Southgate’s – he played for him on multiple occasions during his time in the England U-21 squad – and the Hornets man might’ve hit form at just the right time. For me Chalobah is a definite dark horse for a squad place this summer.