Gabriel Agbonlahor has been discussing England’s team selection ahead of Thursday evening’s game against Denmark. In fact, he even made a big claim about Chelsea’s Cole Palmer during the conversation.
England face Denmark later today in a group stage match at Euro 2024.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate watched his team beat Serbia 1-0 in their tournament opener. Meanwhile, Denmark and Slovenia played out a 1-1 draw.
Cole Palmer, 22, was an unused substitute versus Serbia at the weekend. Will the Chelsea attacker make his Euros debut on Thursday, though?
Gabriel Agbonlahor claim on Cole Palmer
TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor believes that England star Phil Foden should keep his spot in the starting line-up against Denmark despite receiving widespread criticism for last weekend’s display on the left wing.
Jude Bellingham excelled in the No 10 position, while Bukayo Saka caught the eye on the right flank. But Foden’s spot on the left is strongly debated by fans and pundits.
Agbonlahor would like to see Manchester City’s Foden get another shot today, but he’s made the big claim that Chelsea’s Palmer should be the one to replace him if he struggles.
He told talkSPORT: “He’s (Foden) not showing the form that he’s shown for Manchester City for England. So I would start him tonight [against Denmark], but if he doesn’t perform I’m looking at Palmer. And saying is it Palmer’s chance to come on and replace Foden?”
Selection headache for Gareth Southgate
It would have seemed unimaginable a year ago that anybody would be arguing for Palmer to start for England, especially over super talent Foden.
But the Chelsea man’s form last season has made it very hard to overlook him, scoring 25 goals and making 15 assists in 45 Blues matches.
Hopefully, he soon gets to make his impact on this Euros tournament this summer. But we’re not convinced it should be on the left wing, we’re he’ll encounter similar problems to Foden as a left-footed playmaker who likes to drift centrally.
This really is a tough one for England boss Southgate to crack. If you want more natural options on the left, he’s got Anthony Gordon or Eberechi Eze in his squad.