2018 FIFA World Cup: 5 England players who should not be selected

#2 Ashley Young

Ashley Young spent years in the international wilderness before his recent return, but shouldn't go to Russia

The addition of Ashley Young to the England squad has been praised by some fans as an indicator that Southgate is indeed following the form of the Premier League’s best homegrown players, and admittedly, Young has performed well in a new role as left-wing-back for Manchester United this season.

Prior to his recent recall, Young hadn’t played for England since 2013. Usually seeing a player return to the kind of form that got him into contention for the Three Lions in the first place would be a good thing, but when it comes to Young, there are a few issues to contend with.

Firstly, Young is 32 years old, and if he were to go to the World Cup as a wing-back, would likely sit behind both Danny Rose and perhaps even Ryan Bertrand in the pecking order. Which begs the question, is there any point in taking him?

Sure, he offers experience, but recent history suggests that less experienced England squads have done better at tournaments anyway. If it’s a squad place rather than a starting spot, then would it not be better for Southgate to be giving the chance to a potential star of the future like Ryan Sessegnon?

Secondly, despite his good form this season, Young is not a left-back by trade – he’s played the majority of his career as an attacking midfielder. We’ve seen players successfully adapt to new positions before, but it’d be worrying to have a makeshift defender like Young trying to cope with the world’s best attackers.

Young’s story is an admirable one and he arguably earned his England recall for the earlier friendlies with Germany and Brazil, but he probably shouldn’t be going to Russia come June.