Eddie Howe's homegrown heroes could provide the answer for Southgate
Where was Gareth Southgate? Four English scorers and eight starters for Newcastle, with two under-age internationals coming from the bench. Never mind St James’ Park, it is starting to feel like St George’s Park on Tyneside.
There were a further three unused Englishmen in reserve, and there is an argument to say Eddie Howe and Newcastle could win Euro 2024 all on their own.
Howe did not even realise those numbers when Mail Sport presented them to him. ‘You're telling me,’ he said. ‘I had no idea, so it's not a deliberate ploy. It was just picking the team that gave us the best chance of winning, whatever nationality that is. But it's great to see.’
There were also three England players for Crystal Palace - goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and defenders Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell. Not that they looked like it here. Newcastle’s stars did - and five of those eight starters have never been capped.
Given the debate around pathways for English talent - Liverpool had one starter on Saturday, Manchester City and Arsenal both three - it is remarkable to consider a Champions League team has such a core of homegrown players, the bulk of whom have never played internationally.
Two of them should be. Sean Longstaff and Anthony Gordon, 25 and 22 respectively, are in the form of their life and getting better week on week. Most players do under Howe. Gordon may have to be patient with England well stocked in attacking wide areas, but Longstaff, in midfield, has a serious case to be included now.
As one bookmaker cheekily tweeted, ‘Sean Longstaff is a move to Al-Ettifaq away from making the England team’. There will be no Saudi team allowed to touch Longstaff, however, not when he is currently the driving force at the club majority owned by the
Read on m.allfootballapp.com
