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England: 5 players Gareth Southgate absolutely must take to Euro 2021

By Richard Tynan

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 20: A general view of Wembley stadium advertising the Euro's football tournament on March 20, 2020 in London, England. Coronavirus (Covid-19) has spread to at least 182 countries, claiming over 10,000 lives and infecting almost 250,000. There have now been 3,269 diagnosed cases in the UK and 144 deaths. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 20: A general view of Wembley stadium advertising the Euro's football tournament on March 20, 2020 in London, England. Coronavirus (Covid-19) has spread to at least 182 countries, claiming over 10,000 lives and infecting almost 250,000. There have now been 3,269 diagnosed cases in the UK and 144 deaths. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images) /
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Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur
Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

Harry Kane

45 apps, 32 goals for England. At this rate, he’s tipped to overtake Rooney’s all-time scoring record. Obviously, Kane will be the first name on the team sheet for the next few years.

What’s more pertinent, though, is who would be frontrunner should Kane be injured.

This looked likely before the Euros were postponed as Kane is currently recovering from an injury that was due to keep him out of this summer’s tournament.

In my mind, there are 2 obvious choices – Danny Ings and Tammy Abraham.

Again basing my reasoning upon capitalising on a player in fine form this season, my frontrunner would be Danny Ings.

The domestic league record of both players is impressive:

  • Ings: 29 apps; 15 goals; 0.52 goals per game; 1 assist
  • Abraham: 25 apps; 13 goals; .52 goals per game; 3 assists

However, my decision is two-fold.

Firstly, given that Chelsea sit 4th on 48 points and Southampton are 14th on 34 points, I believe it’s no secret that Chelsea is the better side overall.

Chelsea is a largely newly-formed team of youngsters of whom very little was expected at the start of this season.

Southampton, by comparison, is an established team, fighting for Premier League survival.

By comparison, then, Ings has had to work harder to achieve his plaudits this season than Abraham has.

Secondly, this season Ings has been caught offside (which results in a turnover of possession to the opposition) a mere 8 times.

Abraham, however, has been caught offside 20 times. Bear in mind, Abraham has also played 4 fewer games than Ings.

This may seem juvenile, but England thrives upon placing their opposition under constant pressure with attack after attack, whilst lacking confidence in defence.

A young, eager to impress player like Abraham – prone to giving the ball away after being caught offside – would not suit starting for England at this stage in his career.

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