Versatile Gomes could be the missing piece of England midfield puzzle

OF THE four newcomers in the squad, no player signifies the start of Lee Carsley's new England revolution more so than Angel Gomes.

- Dom Smith

Not many fans will have watched the 5ft 6in midfielder in action, but Carsley saw enough of him for Lille in France to make him an integral part of his England Under-21 side that won the Euros last summer without conceding a goal.

The thinking behind his promotion to the seniors is clear enough.

Carsley last week described.

Gomes (below, training this week) as "different" in profile to most other central midfielders, while ex-Lille boss Paulo Fonseca said in April: "Angel is maybe the most intelligent player I have in my team." And Gomes himself, asked recently to reel off his positions, replied: "Left-wing, right-wing, No10, high No8, No6 and double-pivot." Just as the U21s did, Carsley believes England's seniors can reap the rewards.

When Gomes snubbed a contract extension offer from Manchester United and joined Lille in 2020 in search of more game time, he trusted he would "eventually create a pathway" to the top.