Chelsea full-back Ben Chilwell should be starting for England this summer at the European Championships.
That’s the verdict of former Chelsea goalkeeper Rob Green, who has said he would start Chilwell in a back four alongside Manchester United’s Harry Maguire, Manchester City defender John Stones and former Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier.
Chilwell, who has been included in Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man England squad ahead of the European Championships, faces a battle with Manchester United’s Luke Shaw for the left-back role in the side, with Shaw enjoying a superb season for the Red Devils, being named their player of the season.
But Green reckons that Chilwell will have impressed Southgate with how he reacted to finding himself out of the Chelsea team at times this season.
Video Unavailable
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “He [Southgate] is looking at set pieces which is something Ben Chilwell does excel in.
“As a back four at Chelsea, that discussion seems to be over. It may have been a toss-up at times this season over who played between him and [Marcos] Alonso, but as a left-back in a four, I do think Chilwell has excelled there and there is no discussion.
“He has shown this season that he can adapt and when they go to a five, he has shown that attitude that Gareth Southgate has been talking about, that fight and desire when he was not in the team, he went to go to Thomas Tuchel to find out what he could do to get into the team.
“He could have sat there and become the forgotten man, but he hasn’t, he did something about it and credit to him.”
However, former Chelsea Women winger Karen Carney has said that she would start Shaw in a back four, alongside Maguire, Stones and Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, if everyone is fit.