Paul Merson has claimed there is one Crystal Palace player Gareth Southgate overlooked – aside from Tyrick Mitchell – when selecting his England squad for UEFA EURO 2024.
The 53-year-old named his provisional 33-man squad on Tuesday ahead of this summer’s tournament, with Ebere Eze, Dean Henderson, Adam Wharton and Marc Guehi all making the cut.
After a stunning 2023/24 campaign – which saw him receive the Holmesdale Fanatics Player of the Season award on Sunday – Tyrick Mitchell can consider himself unfortunate to miss out, especially given Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell’s fitness issues.
However, Paul Merson believes there is one other Crystal Palace player who Gareth Southgate overlooked…
Paul Merson wants England to call Michael Olise
Speaking on Sky Sports after Tuesday’s provisional squad announcement, the 56-year-old called on Southgate to give Michael Olise a ring.
The Crystal Palace No.7 was born in Hammersmith, London, to a Nigerian father and a French-Algerian mother, making him eligible to play for France, Algeria, England or Nigeria on the international scene.
Merson said: “I would be phoning him up. For me, I’d have rung him up and gone, you can’t get in his (Didier Deschamps) French squad, come and play for us. He’s lived here, I think he was born in England.
“The lad is a talent. He’s a flair player. You need that X-Factor. X-Factor wins you tournaments, not a 7/10 (player).”
It is certainly quite baffling to think that Olise won’t be appearing at UEFA EURO 2024 for any nation, given how remarkable his 2023/24 campaign was, despite a number of injuries.
The £8m man incredibly scored ten goals and provided six assists in just 14 Premier League starts, form which has seen the France U21 international linked with a move to Manchester United.
Crystal Palace No.7 could still play international football this summer
Even if England or France fail to get Olise involved in UEFA EURO 2024 this summer, the 22-year-old could still represent France at the Olympic Games in Paris, starting in July.
That would be a special experience for the winger – to say the least – although it would also disrupt his start to the 2024/25 campaign.
The Gold Medal match would take place on 9th August if France make it, which leaves little time for Olise to rest and recover ahead of the new Premier League season starting on 17th August.
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