Two More England younger has been promoted to first team in shock decision from Gareth Southgate
Before England’s friendly against Belgium on Tuesday, Gareth Southgate has added two U21 stars to the adult team.
Southgate has called up wide back Rico Lewis (19) and goalie James Trafford (21) both of whom are young. The match at Wembley will take place.
The choice was made because Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire, and Sam Johnstone had to pull out of the team because they were hurt.
Trafford, the custodian for Burnley, has played for England from the age of 17 to 21 and this is his first call up to the adult team.
A Manchester United fan chants for Rasmus Hojlund. Image credit: IG/PrinceRyank28.
The custodian was a big reason why England won the U21 European Championship last summer.
Lewis is a young player for Manchester City. He has one full cap, which he earned against North Macedonia in November of last year.
Maguire, Walker, and Johnstone have all gone back to their teams to be evaluated.
With these two additions, Southgate continues to give young players chances and starts who haven’t played for England before.
England lost 1-0 to Brazil on Saturday, and Ezri Konsa, Anthony Gordon, and 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo all played their first senior game. Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite will be looking to do the same on Tuesday against Belgium.
The last chance for England’s stars to show Southgate why he should include them in his team for Euro 2024 this summer is in Tuesday’s game.
In June, England will play friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland. On June 16, they will start their Euros campaign against Serbia, but by then Southgate will have chosen his team for the event.
When England played Brazil, their defence looked shaky, and Maguire had a hard time staying calm.
If Branthwaite plays well against Belgium, it could help his chances of getting a starting spot in Germany this summer.
There are a lot of good full-backs in England, so it will be hard for Lewis to be picked. On the other hand, Trafford has a good chance of being the third-choice custodian instead of Johnstone from Crystal Palace.
