England take on Scotland in the European Championship on Friday and manager Gareth Southgate has to make a key decision about using Kalvin Phillips in midfield.
The Leeds United man was outstanding in England’s first group game against Croatia but with Jordan Henderson rapidly regaining full fitness, Phillips could be pushed to the bench on Friday.
Jordan Henderson is one of the leaders in the England squad which is why many pundits think he could be recalled into the starting line-up despite Kalvin Phillips playing such fine football. But Gareth Southgate has come out to hint that Henderson’s return will not be hurried, primarily due to Phillips and Bellingham’s forms.
“I think with a 26-man squad we were able to take a little bit more of a risk with Hendo,” he told reporters at a press conference on Thursday night.
“And what he brings to the group on the training pitch, what he brings around the camp, his experience, the way that he can speak to some of the other players in those quiet moments when you’re around the hotel, the way he trains, the way he approaches his work, it’s a great advantage for us to have him in with the team.
“He is training consistently now and he is getting closer to the level that we need him to be at.
“And also I think we have got some decent cover in that area of the pitch but I think the drop-off from not taking Hendo was such that we preferred to give him the opportunity to make it.
“And we obviously have Jude coming through as well which has been a real bonus as well as Kalvin so you’ve got to have the physical part right, there’s no doubt about that, even if it’s for 15 or 20 minutes of a game you have got to press well, you have got to be able to get around the pitch well.
“But there are other factors when you are building a squad and when you are building a team and all of those parts are key to producing a winning environment.”
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This is great news for Kalvin Phillips who was hoping to hold onto his spot in the starting line-up after his superb display vs Croatia.
Jordan Henderson, on the other hand, will be itching to come back into the side but with the Leeds man doing so well, we doubt if Hendo will even find a place on the bench or not.
After Southgate’s statement, we are sure the manager is going to use Kalvin Phillips in central midfield alongside Declan Rice and if he can pull out another top draw performance then Jordan Henderson might not even get a chance to play for England in the European Championship.
