Michael Owen has claimed that Jude Bellingham could take the place of Kalvin Phillips in the England team ahead of the 2022 World Cup. The young Borussia Dortmund midfielder was selected ahead of the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ for the first of the Three Lions’ four June Nations League fixtures against Hungary.
Phillips played in each of England’s games at Euro 2020 and was awarded his country’s Player of the Year for the part he played in his first major tournament. However, his long-term injury lay-off earlier this season may well have affected his chances of retaining a starting place in Qatar.
Gareth Southgate has often been criticised for playing a defensive midfield pairing featuring both the Leeds United man and Declan Rice in front of the defence. Owen believes he may wish to use Bellingham going forward to provide more attacking impetus.
READ MORE: Why Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips is such a wanted man this summer
“Phillips and Rice have been the two sitting midfielders in some of the tougher games for Gareth Southgate but I think this lad [Bellingham] is a little bit more adventurous, he’s a better passer and he can probably score a few more goals,” said the former England striker on Channel 4’s coverage of the match. “Talk about exciting players, only 18, he’s got the physique, he’s got the ability, he’s got absolutely everything.
“We could be looking at a mainstay for many, many years. Not just a mainstay but one of the best out there if he develops.”
With Italy and Germany likely to pose more threat in England’s next two matches than Hungary, Phillips might be restored to the starting XI. His lack of football recently, compared to both Bellingham and Rice, may have also been one of Southgate’s pre-match considerations with a consciousness not to overwork the Leeds star.
He will still remain confident of being a key part of his country’s upcoming winter World Cup campaign, especially if he can return to form for the Whites in the first half of the 2022/23 campaign. There is, of course, a chance he might not start the season as a Leeds player but there will be an increased confidence of holding onto the 26-year-old at Elland Road after Premier League survival was secured on the final day.
