Alan Shearer has now shared his view on which of Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa or Brighton & Hove Albion’s Lewis Dunk should start for England on Saturday.
Although he’s been excellent at Euro 2024 for Gareth Southgate thus far, Marc Guehi will be suspended against Switzerland owing to yellow card accumulation.
Therefore, there will be a vacant spot next to John Stones in England’s back line.
And although Liverpool’s Joe Gomez might also be seen as a candidate, it’s likely that either Konsa or Dunk will be chosen – who Southgate leaned on in qualifying.
26-year-old Konsa enjoyed an excellent season with Villa and has progressed considerably since Unai Emery’s arrival.
The versatile defender now has five caps for his country, having played the final 15 minutes in Sunday’s dramatic comeback against Slovakia.
Dunk on the other hand is yet to play a minute at Euro 2024, but the 32-year-old is well trusted by Southgate, who has handed him six appearances in total.
But when speaking on ‘The Rest Is Football’ podcast, Shearer had a clear favourite in mind.
Alan Shearer thinks Ezri Konsa should replace Marc Guehi for England vs Switzerland
Shearer chose Konsa to replace Guehi on the merits that the Villa man had been a little more involved of late, perhaps even referencing his minutes on Sunday evening.
The pundit shared: “Probably Konsa, I think. He’s the one who has been involved a little bit more so I would bring him in.”
And whilst deploying Konsa would never be a poor call for England right now, perhaps Dunk’s skill set could actually be perfectly suited to the task at hand.
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Given England’s tactical insufficiencies, most of their play is deriving from their centre-backs, who are often forced to bypass the midfield ahead of them.
And there are few better progressive centre-backs than Dunk in the Premier League, who is so comfortable with the ball at his feet.
However, Dunk has shown a tendency to succumb to an error for Brighton and England in recent months – which may also factor into Southgate’s decision.
Konsa has been incredibly consistent for Villa and Southgate, and would certainly be a safer, and probably the better option right now.
But if Dunk were selected, the reward could be worth the risk.
All that being said, Declan Rice has just shared what he said to Jude Bellingham before his historic England goal on Sunday.