As I’ve said I feel like Barnes will be a loss - just have this feeling he will switch and then a few injuries will occur etc.
And this is why I come back to this forum daily. We’re all different, we have our own opinions and it’s definitely not boring. That’s being English for you
And Somto Boniface and Tudor Mendel. Just fleshes out our U21s team and gives him a chance to showcase self and hopefully push on. But it is very much an academy signing, he won't even be registered for the first team for end of this season due to being a loan; and when McKenna was asked about it last night he didn't know a huge amount and said another part of the club
He had done really well, but has been injured for a couple of months now - he is excellent on the ball but is still having to be talked through the game by both teammates and coaches for nearly the full 90 minutes off the ball
Lucca Benetton received his first Italy U16 call-up this week - he has also represented England at U15 and U16 level. https://www.instagram.com/p/DT5bIbmCPTo/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
2015373636236943657 is not a valid tweet id I assume both England and Portugal are going to want Mane in their U21’s for the next meet up? Unsure how this one goes.
Yeah I’m not sure, I don’t think our record of keeping hold of players against other top tier Nations is particularly good so if that’s anything to go by then maybe it’s going to be tough but the sample size isn’t particularly big. After reading the AI overview from Wiki ( not sure how accurate it is? ). Just looking at some background detail, doesn’t really indicate either way but he still seems to have connections to his roots, how strong he feels though I don’t know and considering his parents aren’t Portuguese may be a better sign for us. AI Overview Yes, Mateus Mané speaks Portuguese. Born in Portugal to Bissau-Guinean parents before moving to England at a young age, he maintains ties to his roots, including communicating with friends from his time at Portuguese club Barreirense. He holds both Portuguese and British citizenship. Background: Born in Portugal, he has strong cultural and personal connections to the country. Language & Connections: He speaks Portuguese and maintains friendships in Portugal. Nationality: He holds Portuguese, Bissau-Guinean, and British citizenship. Football Career: Despite being eligible for Portugal, he chose to represent England at the youth international level in 2024.
Just touching on Harvey Barnes again(assuming he does declare for Scotland). I find it really hilarious all the English players that Scotland were chasing and the only one they’ve managed to convince is Harvey Barnes. It’s not like he’s even gone running to them, he’s dragged it on for as long as he could to wait for England but I’m guessing he’s finally realised his fate.
To be fair, this might be his only chance to play at a World Cup. A lot of players are now happy to represent countries they have only tenuous connections to simply for the experience of playing on such a stage. I think players like James Tarkowski, who turned down the chance to play for Poland because he sees himself as English are becoming increasingly rare.
I agree and I wouldn’t blame him if he did tbh. It’s basically why countries like Ireland have excelled in football through the years. I just thought it was pretty funny that Scotland set out to chase all these English players and ended up with Harvey Barnes
The biggest advocates seem to be the pundits on TNT who keep on egging on McCoist by calling Barnes McBarnes and just seem to want it to happen.
Yeah it does seem strange that English pundits want this to happen. I can’t imagine that would be the case with Scottish pundits if the shoe were on the other foot. Maybe they have to show a degree of neutrality because they serve the wider British public and not just England? But that’s just guess work on my part
I must say I struggle to understand the debate Barnes is generating. He's already 28, there's not much of a loss to be had here if he's not already on the england radar.
I do agree to an extent. For my part, I’m very keen in trying to keep fringe players as it gives us more options if injuries were to mount up. I’m not going to lose any sleep if Barnes were to go (it’s not like we’d be losing Kane or saka), but I like that we have more of a field to choose from if disaster struck.
Barnes likely is on the England radar but then so is pretty much anyone in the top tier leagues. It was discussed before that even if he made the England squad he probably will not offer that much. The only useful avenue for him would be an off the bench counter attack role but even then you would pick others over him. Even in an injury crisis you probably pick a younger option who is a 1v1 threat. With Tuchel you aren’t always entirely sure what he wants from bench options. So, who knows.
Barnes does virtually nothing outside of chipping in with the odd goal. Granted that's not insignificant, but I do think his goals come in specific circumstances (mostly) that don't translate well to a side like England. His stats (outside of goals) are fairly damning. I can't see he'd be any better than Bowen (who I think is clearly a better player).
Agreed. Pains me to say it but he’d be much more useful to Scotland, even if I did want to keep him for an option.