There are many players who are willing to / not debate about their place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for this summer’s European Championship.
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Danny Ings? Perhaps. Conor Coady? He could be there. James Maddison? And tricky.
But Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho? How is his place in the team even uncertain?
? “I think he will be a star of the future” @ Carra23 on why Jude Bellingham is in his Euro 2020 group. pic.twitter.com/5xk0uPRrto
– Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 5, 2021
On Monday night’s football, we saw Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher choose their last 23-man squad for the euro, but somehow none of them could find a place for a player who has been one of the Bundesliga’s best this season.
12 goals and 16 assists in 31 games for Dortmund this season is an outstanding return from Sancho, who has not even had to be the best to tear up Germany’s highest level. He is the fourth best creator in the division and puts up better numbers than European heavyweights like Kingsley Coman and Leroy Sane.
When it comes to the English, only Harry Kane and Jack Grealish can handle more assists at the club than Sancho, but that apparently means nothing. Let’s release him for third-round pick Mason Greenwood, whose one Premier League assist this season is obviously worth more since it came to England.
Sancho has torn down one of Europe’s best divisions, Soccrates Images / Getty Images
This is no small feat for Greenwood. He’s a great talent, but he’s not at Sancho’s level right now. It’s not an insult, it’s a fact.
If we discount dominance in the Bundesliga, should we just give up Erling Haaland? This kid has only 33 goals in 32 appearances this year, but we don’t know if he can do that on a wet Monday night in Stoke, so he’s probably worth a tenner at best. He does not have a Sky Sports high roller, so why should we care?
Somehow we have ended up in a story where Southgate has to take three right backs and five midfielders (Kyle Walker can play both, btw), and having a player who does not see a single minute in the competition is more valuable than taking an edge on The £ 100 million that all European teams agree on is among the best on the planet.
Sancho has more to offer for England Pool / Getty Images
To play the devil’s advocate for a second, you can argue that Sancho has actually not been very good for England, and you’re probably right.
Three goals and five assists in 18 games for England is definitely overwhelming for a player of Sancho’s quality, but can you really think of an attacking player who has not underperformed for Southgates England?
Harry Kane did not score a single goal in six Nations League matches and needed a nod to the mighty Albania to complete a 16-month dry leg at international level. Are we letting him go too?
Releasing Sancho would be Southgate’s biggest mistake Michael Regan / Getty Images
Sancho is one of those special players who can really change any game, regardless of opposition. He is one of the most exciting wide men around, and for an England team that is as starved of creativity as this, Sancho must be an important part of the team.
If England are going to get anywhere this summer – if they actually want to beat a decent team in a knockout stage once – Sancho simply has to be there. It should not even be a debate.
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