Maddison, Mount and Sancho - England’s three young lions looking to make an impact
It was warming to see Gareth Southgate select three young attacking midfielders in his latest England squad when it was confirmed last week. James Maddison, Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho have each been impressive for Leicester, Derby and Borussia Dortmund, respectively, this season and their call up can be considered little more than the trio deserve for solid campaigns thus far.
It’s also a clear indication of the talent running through the current England setup at present, particularly at a youth team level. Phil Foden and Emile Rowe Smith, of Manchester City and Arsenal, are another hot prospect teenage pair looking to continue their development with the aim of forcing their way into Southgate's squad selection sooner rather than later. Maddison, Mount and Sancho are just three to have thrived in the Premier League, Championship and Bundesliga, respectively, this season, while the likes of youngsters Harvey Barnes, Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins, have all performed well for West Brom, Aston Villa and Brentford, respectively, and would have justified their selection in Southgate’s England plans for the upcoming UEFA Nations League meetings with Croatia and Spain.
Of the trio, no less, Mount is perhaps the most fortunate of the three to have made the cut. That isn’t to say the on-loan Derby ace hasn’t excelled under Frank Lampard, with Mount’s WhoScored rating (6.96) the third best of all Rams players in the Championship. He’s top for key passes (28) in England’s second tier, that reinforcing a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘key passes’, so he hasn’t underwhelmed by any stretch.
Yet when compared to, say, Barnes, who has five goals and two assists for West Brom this season, he would’ve certainly been a worthy inclusion in Southgate’s squad. However, Mount will do everything possible to ensure he is a regular feature in England teams to come over the next 10 days. In a system that Southgate can implement to accommodate the 19-year-old’s style of play - the England boss will likely continue with the three-man defensive setup that served the Three Lions so well at the World Cup - and in behind the striker, or strikers depending on how Southgate starts, then Mount’s notable vision and ability to pick apart teams would be a potent weapon that’ll help England to maximum points in their Nations League group.
He won’t merely waltz his way into the England starting XI, though, with their ample competition for a place in the side, even with Southgate making significant changes to his squad. Ross Barkley will look to re-establish himself as a regular in the national team setup having last made an England appearance in 2016, while Mount’s fellow call up debutant Maddison will be looking to transfer his good club form to the international stage.
Leicester’s summer arrival has taken to the rigours of Premier League football with ease, with no English player making more key passes than Maddison (15) in England’s top tier this term. He’s had a direct hand in five of his eight Premier League appearances, scoring three and assisting two goals. While capable of playing out wide, Maddison is best utilised through the middle and if Southgate does elect for just one number 10 behind two strikers, then he and Mount could be in direct competition for a place in the team if the England boss does look to freshen his regular up.
However, while there is plenty of excitement surrounding the young recruits, it’s Sancho whose call up has perhaps attracted the most fanfare. Electing to continue his footballing education in Germany with Borussia Dortmund rather than try his luck in England, Sancho has made headlines for all the right reasons and sparked a movement of highly-rated young English players making the move abroad. Indeed, Ademola Lookman and Reiss Nelson have both played in the Bundesliga at one point or another, with Sancho a pioneer for prodigious English talent making the switch to Germany.
And Sancho hasn’t disappointed either. The teenage winger may have registered just 216 minutes of league action this season, but he has already had a direct hand in seven goals, registering six assists; no player has more in Europe’s top five leagues this term. Contributing a goal at a rate of one every 31 minutes in the Bundesliga, the 18-year-old has benefitted tremendously from a lack of regular game time he perhaps wouldn’t have received had he continued at a Premier League team, with Lucien Favre in particular maximising his attacking quality in his table-topping Borussia Dortmund side.
Averaging a staggering 5.4 key passes per 90, that better than any other player to make five or more appearances in Europe’s top five leagues this season, Southgate will hope to tap into his immense creative talent to help England this month. Alongside Mount and Maddison, England have three exhilarating young creative starlets that’ll only improve and while it’s important not to jump the gun on young players, the trio have proven they can handle expectations in making a respective leap from either the Netherlands to England, the Championship to the Premier League or by playing for one of Europe’s household names, with Champions League experience for Sancho an added bonus.
The issue may be that, in the current way England play, there isn’t so much a designated position for Sancho as there is Mount and Maddison, but similar could’ve been said for Raheem Sterling, who has come on leaps and bounds in recent years and has impressed as one of two strikers for England following a switch to a three-man defence. Sancho will have witnessed Sterling’s move from an out-and-out winger to his current adaptation as a forward and can hope to make a similar move in style if required.
It remains to be seen just how much action the trio see against Croatia and Spain, but by calling them up, it’s a step in the right direction for England as they look ahead to Euro 2020 and beyond. As former U21 manager, Southgate knows full well the capabilities of some of England’s younger stars and by bringing them into the senior squad, their compatriots will hope for a similar chance to shine, an opportunity that may come sooner than some could expect.
