England manager Gareth Southgate is ‘really hoping’ that Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gets a run of games for his club, according to Daily Telegraph journalist Jason Burt.
The 26-year-old has played just 121 minutes of Premier League action so far this season [Source: Transfermarkt], yet was called up to the latest Three Lions squad.
Burt believes Southgate is pinning his hopes on the former Arsenal man: “He’s got midfielders coming through now but they’re kind of creative midfielders – do they really fit the system he wants to play?,” he explained to BBC Radio 5 Live.
“You’ve got James Maddison, who didn’t even get on the pitch in the last two games. He seems to be going with Mason Mount as a possibility. I think he’s really hoping that Oxlade-Chamberlain gets a real good run in the Liverpool team. He would have started in the World Cup for England.”
'Why is Gareth Southgate not looking at James Maddison?'@JBurtTelegraph believes England manager Gareth Southgate hasn't got his midfield sorted
Listen live ?
???: https://t.co/0kUniWPgQm#bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/JEQJzmJMIP— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) September 11, 2019
OPINION
Burt’s assessment of England’s central midfield situation makes a lot of sense. It’s clear that Southgate wants to play with a defensive-minded midfielder (Declan Rice) and then two more box-to-box players either side of him. Against Kosovo on Tuesday night, those positions were manned by Jordan Henderson and Ross Barkley. Southgate trusts the former implicitly, but there is some debate as to whether Barkley is good enough to be a starter for this England team. Perhaps, then, Oxlade-Chamberlain is the man who the Three Lions boss wants to come through and claim that third central midfield spot. That would explain why he called the Reds star up for this most recent squad despite his relative lack of football this campaign. It would be good for the Englishman to get a run of games for Jurgen Klopp’s side, and you expect he will do at some point. He was a big player for Liverpool before his injury against Roma, so hopefully he will be back in the side in a more permanent way soon.
