Wright claims Man Utd academy graduate offers more to England than ex-Chelsea man

Just when you get into the swing of things, a new problem occurs. Such is the story of the England manager job and it is no different for newly appointed interim boss Lee Carsley.

Prior to England ‘s September fixtures against Republic of Ireland and Finland, Carsley was bold in his midfield choices with former Man Utd man Angel Gomes and Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White featuring, two players who Carsley had worked with while in charge of the England U20’s and U21’s.

His preference of Gomes seemed to have won a lot of plaudits with the Lille midfielder impressing in both games, completing 90 minutes on Tuesday night at Wembley.

Despite the level of opposition being considerably different to the teams England faced in the Euros, Gomes looked far more comfortable than the likes of Conor Gallagher and Trent Alexander-Arnold, with Carsley putting an end to that experiment, while the former Chelsea man was an unused sub in both games, while Alexander-Arnold starring in his more familiar right back position.

After the win against Finland, England and Arsenal legend Ian Wright raved about Gomes’ performances.

Wright said: “Seeing Angel Gomes in that midfield, constantly on the move whether he’s high up, middle, or at the back for us in the six.

“He was doing progressive things, everything he was doing was very progressive.

“And again, all the time, constantly available in any area, wanting the ball.”

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Gomes offered England a completely different dynamic, comfortable in receiving the ball deep on the half turn and under pressure, as well as able to win the ball high up the pitch, something that was missing in the squad during the summer.

Gallagher boasts similar qualities out of possession, but there’s no denying Gomes is superior in terms of receiving deep.

As for former manager Gareth Southgate’s persistence of viewing Alexander-Arnold as a midfielder, the Liverpool man will be most pleased than anyone playing in his more natural position as he was awarded Player of the Match in both of the Nations League games.

For the Three Lions, Declan Rice is a mainstay in the side as he is for his club, but as Mikel Arteta found out in the summer, it is a difficult task in finding the perfect partner for the 25-year-old.

Luckily for Carsley, he now has the option of Gomes, who should certainly be considered as a partner for Rice in the long term, no matter who’s in charge of the England national team.

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