Every time a FIFA World Cup or UEFA Euros event rolls around, the buzz of long overdue jubilation starts to stir within the English people. Despite the England team having had limited success in major tournaments, optimism fills the air across the country. Cars, houses and pubs are adorned with flags and people who are self professed haters of sport stand proudly singing ‘football’s coming home’ at bus stops and in beer gardens.
📷: the Evening Standard
We’ve all been there. We’ve all been committed to the pre-tournament hype, we’ve all built up the excitement and we’ve all hypothesised dream-like scenarios in which the golden World Cup trophy is lifted above the England captain’s head. We’ve all bought a new, crisp, white shirt or fished out a retro one from the bottom drawer. We’ve all felt an obligation to support the underdogs as well as the England team because we’ve drawn Macedonia, Albania or Cameroon in the work sweepstake. We’ve also all felt irrational anger towards Derek at the desk next door who’s never followed football in his 60+ years of life yet has pulled out the tournament favourites.
Let me paint a picture: you’ve had one too many pints in the pub and ended up being soaked in beer. You’ve watched England scrape a desperate draw, or even grab an undeserved last minute winner in their opening group fixture. Yet, the quality of the game hasn’t mattered, the pub was still filled with elation, your mates are still singing at the top of their lungs and you’re still dancing inside, buzzing with the drama of the opening fixture. The hopes of the entire pub are sky-high as the new tournament is now officially underway now England have played. The atmosphere is one full of promise, despite the fact you’re feeling hoarse from screaming at the projector screen. All memories of previous woeful attempts at national success have been ushered away, your mind is excited by possibility. All prior hurt long forgotten.
📷:Getty Images
Despite all of this joy, growing up watching England has taught me not to expect much actual success. Whenever a tournament starts, I know that I’m more likely to experience great disappointment rather than unprecedented elation. However, the recent crop of English youngsters that have started breaking into first team squads across Europe has left me thinking – on more than one occasion – of the possibility of national success. Something I’ve never found myself considering outside of the build up to a major tournament before now.
📷: SWNS: South West News Service
Nations League selection:
As I was writing this post, whilst travelling back from a late lunch with a friend, unbeknownst to me, Gareth Southgate announced his England squad for September’s Nations League fixtures. Having written most of this article and formatted most of the pictures, I felt like my originality had been snatched away. Although I thought about scrapping the article, as lots of my chosen ‘ones to look out for’ (see below) have been coincidentally selected by Southgate anyway, I decided that I should publish this regardless, especially in order to honour those players that still made my list, but didn’t quite fit into Gareth’s final 23.
📷: Twitter/@England
Although the coronavirus pandemic meant that the 19/20 football season was stunted, the postponement of Euro 2020 will allow the plethora of younger players that are gradually proving their worth in their respective leagues, another year’s worth of game experience that will be intrinsic to their growth. This extra year of growth can only benefit the England team.
What qualifies you to be selected for England?
In most cases I would consider that those hopeful of making the England squad for any major tournament should have had significant experience playing for their club. Now everyone’s definition of ‘significant experience’ will be different, but I would consider it to be at least two or three seasons worth of exceptional level performances that influence fixtures. Within these seasons, I would say that the players need to have been cemented consistently within a club’s first team, competing to be the best. I believe this experience to be vital when thinking about bringing glory to the national team.
Southgate’s style as England manager:
Alongside some of the more experienced players like Raheem Sterling, Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane, youngsters have been a key component of Gareth Southgate’s methodology as England manager.
Southgate has given game time to players such as Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold, all before any success the two have recently seen at their home club Liverpool. Although these two players are also relatively young, and will both no doubt aid the future England team, I had decided that the focus of this article (‘ones to look out for’) would be on players that are yet to obtain 6+ caps for England.
Criteria for making my ‘ones to look out for’ list:
The players I have chosen are ones that I believe will benefit from an additional year in their respective squads to help solidify their bids to make the England squad for the 2021 Euros.
I know people will consider some of the players I have selected as ‘dead certains’ for England selection already, I believe that despite the fact that some of the players listed have been performing phenomenally well for their respective clubs recently, they have only been making regular appearances in their first teams in the most recent season, despite making cameo roles in the season before. Although performing at a good level already, another season of being a regular, first 11 choice, can only enhance their game play.
Some of the others on the list are players that that I consider to have had a great 2019/20 season (even if they have played regular football in previous seasons) but still need another great season to keep their name in the spotlight and in contention for England selection. Therefore there are players in my list that might not make the squad if the tournament had been played this year, yet now they are standing in good stead to secure a spot at the Euros if they have another successful season in 20/21.
Scroll down to see the players I have selected as ‘ones to watch out for’ over the coming 20/21 season, all with incredible potential that – if the next campaign is utilised as best as possible – stand a great chance of getting selected for next summer’s English European squad….
Players to watch out for:
Mason Greenwood:
Mason Greenwood has shown flair and class since the return of football after the coronavirus lockdown. Although he was becoming a regular on the Manchester United team sheet prior to the postponement of football, it is since the restart that he has really shown his prowess. At 18 he is still very young, but showing incredible promise already, having scored 10 goals for United since his debut in 2018. Could having another year of collecting regular, full 90 minutes’ worth of first-team game time secure Greenwood a spot at Euro 2021?
Phil Foden:
📷: Getty Images
Phil Foden is arguably one of the best up-and-coming England stars. He is someone who is bound to be impactful in future European fixtures due to his sharp thinking and quality on the ball. Inevitably, he was bound to be a consideration for Southgate ever since he won the Golden Ball at the FIFA U17 World Cup in India in 2017. He will have been in the periphery of all football fans since he made his way onto Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City bench in 2016 and made his first appearances in the Premier League and the Champions League in the following year aged just 17. Pep Guardiola has openly said that the talent Foden possesses will keep him as a Manchester City player “for the next decade”, showing his faith in the 20-year-old. Having made 41 appearances for his boyhood club, another Premier League campaign, this time trying to fill a void left by City legend David Silva, will only improve his claim on a place in the England squad.
Mason Mount:
Mason Mount has had a pretty impressive season with Chelsea, and some would consider him a guaranteed recipient of a place in any England selection. Although I also believe him to be good enough, we need to see him remain consistent with the quality that he has shown up until this point during the coming year. Having only made his first-team debut for Chelsea in August 2019, and his England debut in September 2019, Mount will benefit from getting another season under his belt, before the possibility of being selected to perform on one of the biggest stages in international football. A firm favourite with Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, Mount will certainly be given this opportunity to continually improve during the 20/21 season and is without a doubt, someone that will largely benefit from having an extra season before challenging for a Euro 2021 spot. At 21, Mount already has 6 England appearances, proving that Southgate is as impressed with him as followers of the Premier League have been.
Tyrone Mings:
📷: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
During the 19/20 season, Tyrone Mings started coming into his own, making a mark on his Aston Villa squad as a towering, sturdy centre back that can remain calm under pressure. Having only signed a permanent contract at Aston Villa just over a year ago (July 2019) after an initial loan spell from Bournemouth, Mings has firmly become a fan favourite. However, he needs to get another consistent season under his belt in order to show off his ability and to fully develop his full potential. His ability has been visible over his most recent campaign with Premier League survivors, Villa, and now all that is needed is consistency. I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually becomes one half of Southgate’s favoured England centre-back pairing. His potential is phenomenal, but he now needs to show this week-in, week-out in order to translate this into further international recognition.
Dean Henderson:
📷: 2020 AMA Sports Photo Agency
Dean Henderson has drawn attention to himself over the last two seasons with impressive performances in goal for Sheffield United. Out on loan from parent club Manchester United, Henderson has put in some impressive performances for the Blades. His performances have drawn attention from multiple clubs with speculation also rife throughout the 19/20 season that he would soon be called back to Manchester United in order to replace heavily criticised Spanish national goalkeeper David de Gea. Having 11 appearances for the England U21 national team, alongside a steady 20/21 season back at Manchester United could stand him in good stead to replace current first-choice England keeper Jordan Pickford. However, it is vital he gets game time in over the next season if he wishes to be selected above both Pickford and reliable Burnley shot-stopper Nick Pope.
Rhian Brewster:
📷: Getty Images
Another member of the England U17 World Cup winning squad, Rhian Brewster is a natural goal scorer, securing the tournaments Golden Boot for most goals scored in the campaign. Currently on the books at Liverpool, Rhian spent the end of last season (from January onwards) out on loan at Swansea City scoring 10 goals in 20 appearances. Having been a part of both the Chelsea and Liverpool academies, Rhian worked his way through the Liverpool U18 and U23 squads before being selected in the match squad for the second-leg of Liverpool’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. Although not in the same league yet as the likes of Phil Foden and Mason Mount, Rhian has potential for future England appearances. Although I don’t know that he’d be ready to appear in the 2021 Euros, he is someone I can see in the England squad in future tournaments. In order to make international football a possibility, Brewster needs to find himself playing more regular first-team matches as he has areas of his game that need development. Although not one for the 2021 tournament in my opinion, he is one to watch in the not so distant future when current big name strikers such as Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling start to depart from international football.
Todd Cantwell:
📷: Paul Harding/Getty Images
Impressing on his first season in the Premier League, transfer rumours circulated as soon as it was confirmed that Norwich City would be relegated and returning to the Championship. With some of the ‘big 6’ clubs interested in Cantwell, it was clear he had made an impact during Norwich’s fleeting time in the top flight of English football. Midfielder Cantwell has not been short of goals or assists over the last season, proving a key element of Norwich’s attack. Cantwell made his U21 England debut against Kosovo in September 2019. Although promising, it could be a stretch to picture Cantwell in the 2021 Euro squad. However, he is another player that could prove intrinsic to England in future tournaments if he is able to utilise and consistently develop the potential he has in abundance. Norwich have done well to hold onto Cantwell after their relegation because he is a player that has garnered lots of interest with other Premier League clubs clearly recognising the talent he possesses.
Wild card selection:
James Ward-Prowse:
📷: Olly Greenwood/AFP/Getty Images
Although not ‘up-and-coming’ as such, James Ward-Prowse has always been a wild card of mine. Somebody who I think works phenomenally hard and goes relatively unnoticed despite their talent. He is an incredible workhorse in the middle of the park that can always be relied upon to pull his weight. Not somebody who needs to solidify his position at his club, Ward-Prowse has been a favoured member of the first team since Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival in the 13-14 season. On top of that, he has most recently been named captain of the Southampton squad by current manager Ralph Hasenhüttl.
Despite his regular appearances in the first team, Ward-Prowse’s quiet nature has left him relatively unnoticed internationally, having only gained 2 caps, one in 2017 and one in 2019. However, for someone who has been around for what seems like forever, Ward-Prowse is only 25 years old, so still has plenty of time to solidify a place in the England squad should Gareth Southgate consider his work ethic and stability in midfield something desirable to the England squad. A set-piece specialist, Ward-Prowse has played in a number of positions since his 12/13 debut for Southampton, and has further validate his versatility by becoming a much bigger goal threat over the past couple of seasons for the Saints. A big player who could be just as influential in the England team.
Jason Sancho:
Jadon Sancho’s skill has been the subject of much debate over recent months with speculation over a potential transfer to Manchester United rumoured. However, Sancho already has 11 appearances and 2 goals for England and has been a first team regular for Borussia Dortmund for a couple of seasons now. Therefore, he does not fit my criteria for ‘ones to watch out for’, with regards to breaking in to the national team. However, the potential for his presence in the Premier League with a move away from Borussia Dortmund in the offing, meant that I decided to add him to my list as a wild card option. He is ‘one to watch out for’ in the new English domestic league season, should he transfer away from the Bundesliga and into the Premier League for the 20/21 season.
Have your say…
Make sure you tell us who your ‘ones to watch out for’ are and let us know who your wild card options would be as well. Comment below with your selections for the England UEFA Euro 2021 squad.
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