Lee Carsley’s time as interim England boss came to an end in style on Sunday as the Three Lions roared to a 5-0 win over Republic of Ireland just days after convincingly beating Greece 3-0 in Athens. His replacement, Thomas Tuchel, will get to work in the New Year and the German would have been watching those Nations League victories closely.
Three Lions Contenders: 5 to Impress Thomas Tutchel
With a number of England regulars dropping out of the squad, plenty of fringe players were given a chance to shine, with many taking that opportunity. We have listed the five standout performers who may have done enough to keep their place in the side when Tuchel names his first squad in March.
Three Lions Contenders: Curtis Jones
Marking his international debut with a goal and player-of-the-match performance against Greece, Curtis Jones put in the kind of shift to suggest he could be a solution to a problem position for England.
With Jude Bellingham playing further forwards, finding a midfield partner for Declan Rice at Euro 2024 proved to be an issue for the Three Lions, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Gallagher and Kobbie Mainoo all sharing minutes in that role. However, Jones played in Athens with a composure rarely seen by an England debutant and it would be no surprise to see him feature in Tuchel’s first squad.
Three Lions Contenders: Noni Madueke
Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer are likely to be England’s first-choice right-winger options for the foreseeable future but, with the two having similar profiles, Tuchel may be on the lookout for a third option to give him something different on that flank.
Noni Madueke staked his claim to be that man by creating the most chances of any England player against Greece (3) and then repeating that feat versus Ireland (4) and he looks set to be a regular fixture in Three Lions squads for a while.
Three Lions Contenders: Lewis Hall
With Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell both playing limited minutes over the past couple of seasons, left-back remains a real issue for England. However, Lewis Hall’s performances for Newcastle at the start of this season had many touting him for the role, and he did not disappoint on his first start against Ireland, completing more dribbles (2) and making more tackles (2) than any of his teammates at Wembley.
At just 20-years-old, Hall looks set for a bright future with the national team.
Three Lions Contenders: Conor Gallagher
Gallagher struggled at Euro 2024, often lacking the discipline to play a more defensive role alongside Rice in England’s midfield, but we saw a new iteration of the former Chelsea man last week. His move to Atletico Madrid seems to have done him the world of good, with Diego Simeone clearly improving his defensive capabilities as Gallagher managed a combined five tackles and interceptions against Greece and then three versus Ireland.
His energy and desire cannot be questioned and after a few more months under Simeone, Tuchel may find an important role for Gallagher in his set-up.
Three Lions Contenders: Rico Lewis
As aforementioned, left-back and centre-midfield have been problem positions for England in recent times, so a player who can fulfil both roles must be considered a hot commodity. Rico Lewis is just 19 years old yet he is already a regular for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and he is swiftly becoming a consistent member of the England squad.
The versatile defender played with an air of confidence against Greece, never looking nervous despite his young age, and Tuchel will want to keep him around the squad at every opportunity as he could be a viable option at right-back, left-back and in midfield for well over a decade.
By Tom McGarry
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