5 players who could shine in the Community Shield

Modified Aug 03, 2017 11:02 GMT

ICC Singapore - Chelsea FC v FC Bayern — Alvaro Morata will want to hit the ground running on Sunday

#3 Rob Holding

Arsenal v Chelsea - The Emirates FA Cup Final — Rob Holding is developing into one of Arsenal's key defenders

A signing that flew under the radar for Arsenal last summer, young defender Rob Holding was thrown way into the deep end when he made his first-team debut last August in the Premier League opener against Liverpool.

Holding was painfully exposed as the Reds ran out 4-3 winners. It could well have signalled that he wasn’t ready for the big time, but the England u21 international bounced back in style.

When Arsene Wenger switched to a 3-4-3 system in the final two months of the season, Holding returned to the starting line-up as part of a three-man defence and looked totally at home. In fact, Arsenal won all six of the Premier League games that Holding started in, and the youngster then went on to star in their FA Cup final win, coincidentally also against Chelsea.

If Holding can continue the form he ended last season with – and shut out Chelsea’s forward line again as he did three months ago in the cup final – then Gareth Southgate will have little choice but to look at him for England’s 2018 World Cup squad. The time is ripe for Rob Holding and the Community Shield could be an excellent spring board.

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram