Lee Carsley sends warning to former Man Utd starlet Angel Gomes
Lee Carsley was delighted with Angel Gomes following his eye-catching full England debut but warned the former Manchester United starlet he faces a battle to maintain his place in the Three Lions squad.
United’s decision to allow the gifted midfield technician to leave on a free transfer raised eyebrows at the time and the 24-year-old’s rapid progress at Lille has only served to underline that oversight.
Having won the trust of Carsley at Under-21 level, the Lille star was immediately parachuted into the interim England manager’s first senior squad and made a telling impact, particularly against Finland at Wembley last night.
‘It’s a silly thing to say, he loves football,’ said Carsley when asked why he enjoys working with Gomes so much.
‘He absolutely loves football. He watches football, he’s interested in tactics, he knows all the players in any league. If you ask for feedback you need to prepared that he’s going to give you some on the session or how we’re going to build up.
‘He’ll help in terms of saying some build ups he’s done at other clubs or what he’s played against. He plays in France so obviously he sees different things.
‘He fully deserves it and it’s good that the performance you’ve seen today we’ve seen over the last three or four years.’
The competition for places in England’s midfield engine room remains intense, however, and Carsley did sound a word of warning ahead of next month’s game against Greece and reverse fixture in Finland.
He added: ‘It’s important he keeps working hard like he will do and keeps playing over in France because it’ll be a tough, difficult squad to keep getting in to.’
One man certain to feature, injury permitting, will be Harry Kane after the skipper marked his landmark 100th appearance with both goals in a 2-0 win.
Kane, who had faced scrutiny over his performances at Euro 2024, said he was especially determined to show he’s still a top-class striker.
‘Whenever you’re doubted throughout your career, it makes you more hungry and determined to prove people wrong and prove to yourself that you can still play at a high level,’ Kane told ITV.
‘I always back myself to score goals, especially in a team like this creating the chances we do. I am excited for the future.’
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