Joe Gomez is about to return to England after nearly four years away from international football.
Gareth Southgate, England’s manager, will reveal his final team for the Euros on Thursday and wants to bring Gomez back into the fold. Gomez, 26, has 11 senior caps, the last coming in October 2020 against Wales, before suffering a serious knee injury while on England duty the following month.
That has limited his appearances at Liverpool, but he has been a revelation this season, playing left back, center half, and even midfield. Gomez’s form and flexibility have piqued Southgate’s interest, as England faces serious injury concerns ahead of the Wembley friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
Players will also play warm-up games against Iceland and Bosnia and Herzegovina in June. Southgate ideally did not want to have to call up new players or experiment with a settled group, but Kieran Trippier, Harry Maguire, Levi Colwill, Luke Shaw, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish, and Marc Guehi are all injured.
It is a particular difficulty in defence, and Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell may be called up despite recent injury issues. Rico Lewis of Manchester City appears to have secured his position. They have checked on Everton’s in-form Jarrad Branthwaite, but Gomez is ahead of the queue, and Southgate likes the fact that he can play in a variety of positions, as well as the fact that he has previously been in the squad and is appreciated by Southgate.
There are other difficulties. Jordan Pickford has been established as England’s No. 1, but Sam Johnstone has only recently reclaimed his spot at Crystal Palace, while Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale’s sole recent start resulted in a goal against Brentford. England have looked on Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland, who may replace Ramsdale, but Southgate appears to be sticking with the Arsenal goalie.
Another issue is central midfield, where Kalvin Phillips has struggled since joining West Ham on loan, and England has looked into Eric Dier at Bayern Munich. Jordan Henderson seemed to have secured his position following his move to Ajax. Manchester United prospect Kobbie Mainoo has been in excellent form, but he is expected to remain with the under-21s, and manager Lee Carsley has been monitoring his progress, implying that he may not receive a senior call until after the Euros. But it’ll just be a question of time.
