Despite not having played for Brighton and Hove Albion since their 2-1 defeat to Liverpool on 31st March, Evan Ferguson took part in Heimir Hallgrímsson’s inaugural session as Republic of Ireland’s new manager. Alongside the other 22 players picked for the upcoming Nations League encounters against England and Greece, Ferguson sweated it out at the Aviva Stadium, where both matches will be staged.
The young striker last represented Ireland in a match back in March, where they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland. Now, having reportedly recovered from an ankle injury, he is set to earn for himself a 13th international appearance.
Considering Adam Idah’s three-minute performance in Celtic’s 3-0 triumph over Rangers in the Old Firm derby, he too is a potential leader for the forthcoming match against England.
Despite being Hallgrímsson’s first training session with Ireland, the session was primarily managed by assistant head coach John O’Shea, Crystal Palace coach Paddy McCarthy, and Gudmundur Hreidarsson. The latter pair previously worked with Hallgrímsson in Iceland and Jamaica.
England’s preparation appears a bit more steady, with Harry Kane already netting a goal for Bayern Munich against SC Freiberg and six other players from Lee Carsley’s squad remaining active in Premier League matches. Confirmations have also been made that Trent Alexander-Arnold, who participated in Liverpool’s 3-0 conquest of Manchester United, will return to playing right-back.
It should be noted that Trent-Alexander tried his hand at midfield under ex-England boss Gareth Southgate in the past Euros, alongside Declan Rice. However, the move proved unsuccessful and he was substituted with Kobbie Mainoo during the knockout stages.
Mainoo met his match in Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister of Liverpool on Sunday, leading Carsley to consider handing his international debut to Lille’s Angel Gomes to occupy the central midfield position that Southgate yet to figure out a suitable replacement following Kalvin Phillips’ dip in form.
According to Carsley, Angel’s style of play is not the usual robust, physical approach we’ve been accustomed to for a central midfielder. Rather, Angel distinguishes himself with his technical proficiency. His handling of the game through his adept skills and polished techniques is commendable. Moreover, he is a determined player with a thorough love for football. Tactically, too, he is top-notch, and Carsley expects that spectators will enjoy watching Angel play.
Angel rose through the ranks at United and, during his tenure there, Carsley awarded him 18 caps at England under-21. Now at 24 years old, he’s making a name for himself at Lille. He turned in a spirited performance of 45 minutes in Lille’s recent 3-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, coming back only recently from a concussion.