Chris Sutton has reacted to the news that Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher is in the England squad for the World Cup fairly positively.
Gallagher, who’s been described as “clearly talented” by Sutton, is officially on the England plane going to Qatar this month for the World Cup.
Chelsea’s midfielder learned yesterday that he’s part of the 26-man squad picked by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.
The 22-year-old is now a first-team player at Stamford Bridge after a string of successful loan spells in recent seasons, albeit he’s still trying to nail down a starting position within a very competitive Blues squad.
He received big praise from Southgate on Thursday after the World Cup squad inclusion.
Conor Gallagher in England squad
Sutton has been grading all of Southgate’s squad selections and gave Gallagher a 3/5 mark.
He thinks Chelsea’s academy graduate is a talented individual and fair pick.
When discussing Gallagher’s inclusion in the England squad, Sutton told the Daily Mail: “James Ward-Prowse will be disappointed, but Gallagher is clearly talented. He had a tremendous season for Crystal Palace last year and is trying now to make himself a starter for Chelsea. He’s a grafter so I’ll allow this call-up!”
There’s no doubt Gallagher has the skillset to be a great impact substitute in this tournament. Perhaps there’s an eye to the future by including the youngster, too.
He definitely was one of the surprise picks yesterday when the England squad arrived. He could now have a massive opportunity to shine on the biggest stage, though.
Gallagher’s confidence should be at an all-time high after yesterday, so it’s going to be interesting to see how he grows from this moment.
The cloud over this weekend’s games is that all World Cup players will fear picking up a late injury, but the worst thing you can do is step on to the pitch with hesitation.
For Gallagher, that means not shying away from his all-action approach if he starts for Chelsea against Newcastle United.
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