Gareth Southgate makes feelings clear about Ezri Konsa ahead of tough Euro 2024 decision
Ezri Konsa has made a strong impression on Gareth Southgate, with the England manager claiming he looks “very confident” in a Three Lions shirt.
The Aston Villa defender made his third appearance for England on Monday against Bosnia and Herzegovina and impressed as he occupied three different positions in the 90 minutes. He started off at right-back, while the two specialist right-backs in the England side, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold, played on the left and in midfield respectively.
Since making his debut against Brazil in March, Konsa has done his chances of making the squad for the Euros the world of good. There are few harder tasks as a defender than coming into a game against Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo, but Konsa locked down the right side after Kyle Walker came off injured during the friendly at Wembley.
He then put in another accomplished performance against Belgium from right-back, before demonstrating more of his versatility on Monday night in the Euro2024 warm-up game at St James’ Park, Newcastle.
“We weren’t intending to move him quite as much,” Southgate said after the 3-0 win. “We took Lewis [Dunk] off as a precaution and the best way was to put Ezri at centre-half, which I think is his strongest position anyway.
“That’s his third cap, he’s done very well in all three. That adaptability is helpful to us. He’s playing in a team that have had an extremely good season and he’s been a big part of that. He looks very confident in an England shirt.”
The England manager last month named a 33-man group for the Euros that must be trimmed by seven before the tournament in Germany. The Three Lions will also face Iceland at Wembley on Friday night before heading to their tournament camp in Erfurt. By that point Southgate will have made some difficult decisions and informed those who have just missed out.
Leave a Reply