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Euro 2020 is still several months away, and yet the international tournament is already on the minds of plenty of fans, with England’s chances being debated by supporters and pundits alike. But is Gareth Southgate’s squad set?
Sure, there are a handful of players – Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, and so on – who are likely guaranteed a spot in the Three Lions’ squad if they’re fit, but other players who were heavily involved in qualifying – Ross Barkley and Danny Rose, for instance – have struggled to make an impact in 2019-20.
That means that squad places could still be up for grabs, and here are 5 good outside bets to make it into Southgate’s England squad come June.
#1 Jack Grealish - Aston Villa
Given his incredible form at club level of late, it seems crazy to be labelling Jack Grealish as an outside bet to make England’s squad for Euro 2020, but the fact remains that the Aston Villa captain has yet to receive a senior call-up yet – let alone a maiden cap – and Gareth Southgate does tend to favour players who have performed well for him in the past.
There are plenty of reasons why he should buck that trend and call Grealish up for the tournament, though. There was a clamour for him to be included in the last England squad, which was named in November, but Southgate chose against it. Since then, the floppy-haired playmaker has gone from strength to strength, scoring a further 5 goals and registering 2 assists to take his totals to 7 and 5 in both categories.
When it comes to English attacking midfielders, nobody has been involved in more goals than the Villa man this season, and in other key areas – pass success rate, key passes per game and successful dribbles per game – Grealish is also ahead of England rivals Mason Mount and James Maddison. He’s also been fouled on more occasions than any other player in the entire Premier League.
Villa might be struggling right now but Grealish is doing more than any other player in his quest to help them to remain in the Premier League, and on form, he could be the best player outside of the top 6 right now. With everything considered, there can be no doubt that Southgate should take him to Euro 2020.
#2 Nathaniel Chalobah - Watford
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.
#3 Dominic Calvert-Lewin - Everton
With the recent injuries to Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Tammy Abraham leaving England fans – and Gareth Southgate – likely sweating as the months pass, it seems important that the Three Lions find some alternative striking options, and quickly. Callum Wilson appears to have fallen out of favour due to his drop in form, but one man who could definitely grasp an opportunity is Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
A World Cup winner with England’s U-20 squad in 2017 – the Toffees man actually scored the winning goal against Venezuela in the final – many questions were asked over Calvert-Lewin’s ability to succeed at the top level prior to 2019-20 after he scored just 6 goals in 35 games last season. This season however, he’s proven himself to be far more dangerous in front of goal.
The 22-year old has scored 10 goals in his 23 appearances thus far, and seems to have cemented himself as Everton’s first-choice frontman under new boss Carlo Ancelotti – who has even claimed that the youngster could develop into one of Europe’s best forwards.
His ability to hold up the ball and play with his back to goal could be the key for him breaking into the England squad, as it’s a similar role to that played by Kane when he’s fit, and the fact that he’s starred for the Three Lions across a number of their youth teams stands in his favour too. The Everton man will hope to be picked in Southgate’s squad for March’s friendly games – and from there, Euro 2020 could beckon.
#4 Reece James - Chelsea
Four of Chelsea’s academy graduates – Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Callum Hudson-Odoi – have already starred for England in the current season, but the best of the bunch may well prove to be 20-year old full-back Reece James. The former Wigan loanee has burst onto the scene in recent months with some fantastic performances, and it seems likely that Gareth Southgate’s eyes must have been opened at some point.
A tremendous natural athlete, James has basically everything it takes to succeed as a modern full-back at the highest level; he’s a tough tackler who rarely gets beaten by an opponent, and while he isn’t a dynamic dribbler as such going forward, his delivery from crosses is pinpoint, as evidenced by his recent assists against Aston Villa and Burnley.
It’s hard to imagine James capturing a starting berth for England at Euro 2020; he usually plays at right-back, a position seemingly sewn up by Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, but interestingly, the Chelsea youngster isn’t just a one-position player – he’s actually able to play anywhere across defence, including on the left, and has even stepped into a holding midfield spot before.
That means that James could fill the spot vacated by Manchester United’s Phil Jones – that of the utility man, capable of filling in at multiple positions, meaning Southgate could probably afford to take one less defender and take an extra attacker in the squad, too. If the Chelsea man continues to perform like he has done recently, surely he’ll be given his opportunity.
#5 Danny Ings - Southampton
England’s striking issues have been well documented recently thanks to the serious injury suffered by Harry Kane, and since then things have gotten even worse, with both Marcus Rashford and Tammy Abraham picking up injuries. That means that Southampton’s Danny Ings is almost certain to be given a chance by Gareth Southgate in March’s international friendlies – and if he performs well, he could nail down a Euro 2020 spot.
Ings – who was capped by the Three Lions back in October 2015 under Roy Hodgson – has arguably been the Premier League’s most in-form striker this season, scoring 14 goals for the Saints thus far, including half of them since the beginning of December. And he’s been scoring varied efforts too, from poacher’s goals to the Paul Gascoigne-esque strike he delivered against Tottenham on New Year’s Day.
At 27 years of age, Ings is in the best form of his career – and that’s the only thing that might stand against him with England. Southgate has traditionally preferred to pick younger players – mainly graduates of England’s youth teams – and he may see Ings’ current run as a purple patch, but with Kane, Rashford and potentially Abraham on the shelf, surely the Saints man is worth a shot.
After all, Jamie Vardy was of a similar age when he received his first England caps, and the Leicester striker became one of the Three Lions’ key men during Euro 2016 and also played in the 2018 World Cup.
More than anything else, Ings warrants a call-up on form alone – and it’d be hard to bet against him finding the net in those friendly games and then heading to Euro 2020.
