Max Kilman Wolves
Gareth Southgate has told Max Kilman ‘the door is always open’ after leaving the Wolverhampton Wanderers defender out of his latest England squad.
Gareth Southgate said: “He’s had a good season with Wolves. There are a lot of good defenders around – Fikayo (Tomori) would be another one we’ve been tracking closely. We do our due diligence and know the attributes that are needed for the balance of the team. I’m not going to go into huge coaching conversations here because that wouldn’t be appropriate. You can make comments about what’s needed and then that can be a perceived criticism of a player – I got caught doing that once before, so I’m not going to do that again. But he’s very much on our radar. He’s one of a number that we tracked closely. I think Marc Guehi, his consistency and the way he’s played over a long period with Crystal Palace, calm with the ball, aggressive without it, quick, mobile – Ben White also has that mobility and speed as well. He’s playing in a pressurised environment so it’s going to be good for us to see those two a bit more closely. But the door is always open.”
Harry Maguire, John Stones, Tyrone Mings, Coady, Guehi and White are the six centre-backs Southgate opted for instead of Kilman. England face Switzerland on March 26 before a meeting with Ivory Coast on March 29.
