England headcoach Gareth Southgate has admitted that his team is having trouble finding a replacement for Kalvin Phillips, seven months after his last appearance for the Three Lions.
Southgate asserted that Trent Alexander-Arnold is being employed in an “experiment” to fill in the void left by Phillips’ absence, which has affected his team’s performance in their Euro 2024 opening two games.
Gareth Southgate on Kalvin Philips
This revelation came following England’s lackluster 1-1 draw with Denmark, in which Alexander-Arnold was once again substituted for Connor Gallagher, despite being expected to thrive in the midfield role due to his passing abilities.
”He’s had some moments where he has delivered what we thought he would,” Southgate said, when asked about Alexander-Arnold.
”We know it is an experiment and we don’t have a natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips, but we’re trying some different things and at the moment we’re not flowing as we’d like, that’s for sure,” he added, as reported by Daily Mail.
Phillips’ last England cap came in November of last year during the Three Lions’ disappointing 1-1 draw with North Macedonia during Euro qualification.
After starting just two games for Manchester City in the first few months of the previous season, the midfield player had a dismal loan stint at West Ham in the second half of the campaign.
The England boss has faced criticism in the past due to his constant usage of Philips, despite his lack of playing time for his club.
Southgate’s recent revelation may seem less surprising to some, given his knack for using the former Leeds midfielder despite his unimpressive performances at the clubside.
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