Awkward Alert! Ashley Young And Dele Alli Set To Reunite
REUTERS/Andrew Yates
The English national team has friendlies against Germany and Brazil later this month on the 10th and 14th respectively, and the management has released the squad list for the encounters. Amidst surprise additions and removals, the name that stands out is that of Ashley Young.
The Manchester United player was last capped for the national side in September of 2013, and will enjoy a recall owing to his recent spurt of good form.
What will be interesting to see is the rapport he will share with Tottenham’s Dele Alli, who has also been named in the team. The duo was seen openly clashing last week during United’s encounter against Tottenham, which the Reds won 1-0. The nose to nose clash in question was about remarks that they exchanged.
The younger midfielder mocked the 32-year-old by asking him to “retire with a zimmer frame”. Young replied to this by reminding Alli about his lack of Premier League silverware. Now that they are poised to play side by side and be integral in their country’s success, it will be interesting to see whether they’ll keep their differences aside.
Further, manager Gareth Southgate had this to say about Young’s recall: “Young’s performances warrant a recall. We want to play with wing-backs – I think it’s a role he can perform, left or right, very well. He’s played very well for Manchester United.
“Generally speaking we want to look at younger players, and develop the team, but I’ve always said if a more senior player is playing well and warrants the call-up, we should include them.”
Other notable names included youngsters Tammy Abraham, Joe Gomez and Ruben Loftus-Cheek who have been uncapped so far.
The full squad list is as follows:
Reuters / Lee Smith
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke City), Joe Hart (West Ham – loan from Manchester City), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Harry Maguire (Leicester), Danny Rose (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Crystal Palace – loan from Chelsea), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Harry Winks (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Manchester United)
Forwards: Tammy Abraham (Swansea – loan from Chelsea), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
Written by Naveen Kelvin 
A writer trying to craft the poetry within football. Purpose in life is to Make Good Art.