Good to see an actual leftback in now. Thought he looked quite good against the Netherlands. It's not important for this squad but I suspect he'll play for Algeria should he ever amount to a Prem/Championship player. Their FA has apparently already contacted him. They also wanted to call up German youth international Benkara from BVB u19s to their Seniors just to cap-tie him but he's also sticking with his place of birth for the time being...
Yes and I know you can't read too much into it but he only ever added the England flag after the friendlies, removed it soon after he wasn't selected in the first place and now it's there again as the last of the three. His father is a London-Algerian. Not too sure if his mother was born in England or moved from Latvia at one point. Then again, someone like Mfuni only has the DR Congo flag on his profile yet is absolutely commited to England. It's just with North African duals you almost have no chance of keeping them in the system unless you agrressively and often unfairly overpromote them unless they actually deserve it like Yamal or Mbappé (though judging by his interviews he seems to be quite patriotic about representing France so perhaps Algeria wasn't really an option for him. Then again, Olise at one point looked set to play for Algeria over England lol). I believe this hasn't been such a problem before for England compared to France, Spain or more recently Belgium and the Netherlands but I've heard more of North Africans have come to England since Brexit which could have a negative influence on the youth teams and even playing time in the Prem for other English prospects as they would still count as homegrown. For now it's more important for me that Benamar can give this team a bit more balance as an actual fullback and hopefully help the team advance as far as possible, maybe even winning the competition. I think that could help keep other duals of this age group in the set-up for longer (as I still believe the Musiala situation could have gone differently had he played the u17 Euros together with his close friend Bellingham and the talented 2003 generation who I'm almost certain would've won that competition which was cancellled.
1 Porter 2 Burrowes 3 Benamar 4 Emenalo 5 Braithwaite 6 Byfield 7 Howell 8 Ridgeon 9 Gomes 10 Dowman 11 Heskey 12 Simmonds 13 Awusu 14 Williams-Barnett 15 Hardy 16 Page 17 McAidoo 18 Gorman 19 Ngumoha 20 Gray
It's stupid and probably demotivating for him to have him on the bench so often lately and never sub him on, not even for token minutes.
He has as much talent as a few players in this squad. However, he’s received far too much media hype and expectation, which Arsenal themselves haven’t helped manage. I hope he can be introduced into the first team in a calm and measured way, like Nwaneri the past few seasons and go onto succeed.
This might just be a UEFA error but if you go on our squad list, Louis Page hasn't got a picture like everyone else. The only other England player without one is Howell, who we know hasn't travelled yet. So maybe Page a late arrival too or just missed the media day for some reason. Just an observation.
The game is on the BBC website (and red button) as well as the uefa website. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/live/c17rez4qq19t
I just can't agree with this. It's pretty obvious that he's a special talent even among the high level of talent in this England squad. Hence why he's the youngest player at this tournament and why so many are already paying attention to him. It's based on what he does on the pitch. I think it's impossible to shield a player of his ability from public view in the modern media age. I agree it was better when I was a kid when a David Beckham or Paul Scholes would just appear suddenly in the first team but that world is gone. Now you players like JJ Gabriel being heavily promoted by their families or Heze Grimwade who has had his whole life documented on social media to millions of followers. It's strange to people that grew up in the pre-internet age but this is the way it is now. I don't know if Arsenal have handled him badly or not. There's no way of knowing at this point of he'll stay motivated or will be able to handle the pressure of elite senior football. I suppose I view these things a bit differently as I think it mostly depends on his fundamental character and that his family and people close to him will have the biggest effect. Take the case of Bojan, he was a superstar at youth level breaking goalscoring records but never lived up to that potential. He admitted that he couldn't handle being famous and in the massive spotlight that Barcelona brings. Did the Barcelona fail him there or is it just his character, what should've they done with him?
Arsenal youngster Max Dowman has been told he will be part of the club's first-team squad next season, according to reports in the Mirror. Dowman, who has represented England in the U17s European championships this summer, does not turn 16 until December. However, the player has impressed so much in training of late that he will now join the club's preseason tour of Asia this summer. (Sky Sports)