What exactly does Leeds winger Jack Harrison have to do, to be given an England call-up?
Gareth Southgate has picked his squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Italy and Germany and once again, Leeds United’s Jack Harrison has been overlooked. The England manager has been recently quoted as saying, “I never pick on reputation, form has to come into it.” Which is quite blatantly, a lie when it comes to Harrison.
Could it be that he isn’t in the so-called ‘big 6’? Could it be there are better players in his position? Or simply, Southgate doesn’t rate him? Well, the big 6 argument could be true, but players like James Ward-Prowse, Conor Coady and Declan Rice are regulars of late. Ivan Toney has been included this time and with all due respect, is nowhere near the top 6. However, he certainly deserves a call-up after his fantastic form in recent weeks.
So, let’s have a look at players who either do, or could play in the same position. Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount, Jack Grealish, Jaydon Sancho, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden have all played on the left side in the past, either as a left winger or a left forward. Rashford has been ruled out with an injury, and his Manchester United teammate, Sancho has been left out altogether. Jack Grealish has been in poor form and found game time limited at Manchester City, leaving Sterling, Mount and Foden as the only real options on the left.
Jack Harrison in action against Chelsea at Elland Road.
Jack Harrison has more chances created, assists and goals than Grealish and Mount combined, so if Southgate is true to his word, why isn’t Harrison even being considered? Maybe it’s a Leeds bias, and we all want our players in the International squad, but I feel for Jack. Knowing how hard he works off the ball and how good he is with the ball, even though he is one Leeds player who frustrates sometimes, only because we all know how high his ceiling is, and in some games, his usual standards drop a level. Maybe this is the third reason we highlighted earlier, and Southgate simply doesn’t rate him?.
In our honest opinion, these two “friendlies” would have been perfect for Harrison to be involved in, and we all hope he is at least considered for games in the future.
What do fans think, should Harrison be considered for England in the future? Let us know in the comments.
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