Soccer
Former England striker names young star he's most looking forward to seeing for Three Lions in final Nations League games
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Lee Carsley goes into his final two games as England's interim manager with a depleted Three Lions squad after a wrath of withdrawals dominated his plans for the final Nations League encounters.
England play Greece on Thursday, before entertaining Ireland this Sunday, and need to win both games to have any chance of being promoted from League B.
However, nine players have pulled out of the squad in the build-up to the game, handing chances to a plethora of new young stars that have been drafted in as replacements.
Of those new names, former Three Lions striker Alan Smith has singled out one player who he thinks could take advantage of the absentees and make a claim for a regular berth.
“You’d probably look at Morgan Rogers," Smith told when asked what player he's most excited about.
"He’s done ever so well for Unai Emery. With no [Phil] Foden, [Cole] Palmer, [Jack] Grealish. They’ve all dropped out. All players that could play in the number 10 role.
"So there might be a little chance for Morgan Rogers in one of the games. He’s only 22, still learning, but he’s clearly a lad of talent, so it’d be quite nice to see him put on the shirt.” The two games signal the end of Carsley's brief run as national team coach and will be replaced in January by the incoming Thomas Tuchel.
When asked about Tuchel's appointment, Smith admitted he could see the logic in the appointment but was still disappointed to see The FA go the overseas route once again.
England play Greece on Thursday, before entertaining Ireland this Sunday, and need to win both games to have any chance of being promoted from League B.
However, nine players have pulled out of the squad in the build-up to the game, handing chances to a plethora of new young stars that have been drafted in as replacements.
Of those new names, former Three Lions striker Alan Smith has singled out one player who he thinks could take advantage of the absentees and make a claim for a regular berth.
“You’d probably look at Morgan Rogers," Smith told when asked what player he's most excited about.
"He’s done ever so well for Unai Emery. With no [Phil] Foden, [Cole] Palmer, [Jack] Grealish. They’ve all dropped out. All players that could play in the number 10 role.
"So there might be a little chance for Morgan Rogers in one of the games. He’s only 22, still learning, but he’s clearly a lad of talent, so it’d be quite nice to see him put on the shirt.” The two games signal the end of Carsley's brief run as national team coach and will be replaced in January by the incoming Thomas Tuchel.
When asked about Tuchel's appointment, Smith admitted he could see the logic in the appointment but was still disappointed to see The FA go the overseas route once again.
He added: "When it was announced, I thought it was a shame that we couldn’t find an English coach, and the message it sends out. But it is more of a global game these days, in the Premier League you are picking from a global pool player-wise and coach-wise. Clearly the FA didn’t see an English candidate good enough. There’s a sparse amount.
"It’s a different relationship with Tuchel. It’s another inclusion in his CV. Does well for England, and it helps him get a better job in club football because I don’t see him staying as long as Southgate did.
"You wouldn’t be surprised if he left after the next World Cup. He’s a gun for hire really. Brought in to do a job.
"It’s such a different relationship to the one an English manager would have.
"You don’t see Germany, Italy, Spain doing it at all really, but we do in that search for success. If we win the World Cup will anybody care? Probably not. But in an ideal world, I’d like to have seen an Englishman.”
