England player ratings: Lingard on target in win over Netherlands
By Danny Hart
Harry Maguire – 7
Barring injury, Maguire will definitely be on the plane to Russia. The Leicester defender, forced to come off the bench after 10 minutes following an injury to Joe Gomez, plays exactly the kind of style that Southgate likes. Yes, it’s a little risky at times and he lost possession on a couple of occasions, but Southgate will have been pleased with his forward-thinking approach.
Dele Alli – 5.5
Dele gave the ball away clumsily a couple of times after replacing Lingard with 23 minutes to play. Assuming he starts against Italy, the Tottenham man needs to put in a good performance to cement his place in the three-man midfield.
Jamie Vardy – 5
Including stoppage time, Vardy played 27 minutes and he touched the ball precisely zero times. Even the referee, who accidentally played a one-two with a Netherlands player, had more touches.
Danny Welbeck – 5.5
Like Vardy, Welbeck struggled to make an impression after coming on as a second-half substitute. At least he touched the ball – seven times in total – but he was largely anonymous.
Ashley Young – 6.5
Young didn’t have much to do during his 20-minute spell off the bench. He has cemented his place at left-back for Manchester United in recent months and, given Rose’s inconsistent displays of late, he may just cement the position for England if he starts and plays well against Italy.
Next: Key international break fixtures
Eric Dier – N/A
Dier replaced Maguire with two minutes to go and didn’t touch the ball. It’ll be interesting to see where he plays against Italy on Tuesday. If he plays in defense, one imagines his former role in central midfield now belongs to Henderson.