The battle for England’s midfield has taken an intriguing twist over the past week — one that could bubble up nicely by the start of next season, when Gareth Southgate begins his final preparations for November’s World Cup finals in Qatar.
The trusted pairing of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips face competition from the more progressive options of Jude Bellingham and Conor Gallagher, who both took their chance to make an impression in otherwise meaningless friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.
To add spice to the debate is a summer when all four could conceivably be on the move — and for a young player with World Cup ambitions, the next step has the potential to be critical.
This could be the summer when Rice finally gets his £100million-plus transfer, with Chelsea and Manchester United both long-time admirers.
It is safe to assume Phillips will not stick around at Leeds if they are relegated — and even Premier League survival might not be enough for the club to keep the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’.
Gallagher will be recalled by Chelsea from his loan at Crystal Palace and thrust straight into Thomas Tuchel’s first-team squad, while Bellingham — perhaps the most exciting Englishman of his generation — may well decide the time is right to return to his homeland from Germany.
Southgate admitted this week that the standard in the Bundesliga cannot compete with England’s top flight — and United and Liverpool are two teams eager to bring him back.
Last night, he showcased his attacking qualities in a No10 role that was full of intelligence, variety and menace. His ability to pick up the ball centrally and carry it through congested areas had elements of Paul Pogba at his best.
United recognise that talent and it is easy to see why he could be considered an ideal replacement for the Frenchman, who is set to leave Old Trafford in the summer.
But Bellingham needs to tread carefully. He has seen what a move to United did to his former Borussia Dortmund teammate Jadon Sancho, who has been dropped by Southgate and needs a spectacular start to next season to have a chance of making the World Cup.
Liverpool might well seem a better, safer fit, but that comes with greater uncertainty over whether he would get regular game time. Rice faces a similar predicament.
He is king of the castle at West Ham. Few doubt he would be just as dominant at one of the Premier League’s leading clubs, but it is a risk, with just six months to go until Qatar.
Southgate has already backed Gallagher to thrive at Chelsea — and the 22-year-old’s ability to rise to every level he has played at in his young career is encouraging. His seemingly boundless energy reminds Tuchel of N’Golo Kante and his willingness to break the lines offers a different dimension to Rice and Phillips.
As for Phillips, he was England’s player of the year in 2021 and one of the breakout stars of the Euros. Injuries have curtailed his progress this season and Leeds have missed him badly. At 26, he is at the age when he is ready for a major move, with United having also watched him.
The next step for all four could be decisive to theirs — and England’s — World Cup prospects.
