England manager Gareth Southgate has an Everton core in his Euro 2020 squad and talked up the key attributes of defender Ben Godfrey.
The 23-year-old joins teammates Jordan Pickford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin as part of a provisional 33-man squad ahead of the coveted European tournament.
However, the provisional squad will need to be whittled down to 26 men – meaning 7 unfortunate call-ups will be left disappointed in the summer.
Everton fans will be hoping to see the Three Lions thronged with as many Toffees as possible, and Southgate offered cause for optimism.
When discussing his defensive selections, he explained his reasoning when asked about the inclusion of Godfrey along with Brighton’s Ben White in relation to other options.
As reported by Everton’s official website, Southgate said of the duo:
“They are both exciting young defenders.
“There are others we have been looking at who we really like. Ezri Konsa had a good season at Aston Villa and Fikayo [Tomori] has done well at Milan [where he was on loan from Chelsea].
“These two [Godfrey and White] are flexible, they play in different roles and can play left and right. This is a great opportunity for us to know them a bit better and for them to work with the team.
“It works for everybody.”
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In many ways, Godfrey has Carlo Ancelotti’s tactics at Everton to thank for his potential inclusion in the final squad.
Godfrey has frequently found himself deployed as a full-back on either flank and thus has an established Premier League record as a defensive Swiss army knife.
With heavy competition from the likes of Harry Maguire, John Stones and Tyrone Mings for permanent places ahead of the Euros, versatility is demonstrably a key factor in Southgate’s thinking.
Godfrey’s form is clearly catching eyes from the England camp and that could prove decisive in his international ambitions.
