Elliott Cuff Fan Q&A: Keane England snub will be a travesty
Every week we’ll be asking Everton fans on our Twitter account for questions that will be answered by Goodison News editor Elliott Cuff. You can join in by following the Goodison News Twitter account and watching out for weekly mailbag posts
Carlo Ancelotti received plenty of credit last summer for his impressive transfer business but he rarely gets praised enough for improving individuals at Everton.
The Italian coach has overseen the drastic improvement of many of his first-team squad, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tom Davies and Michael Keane to name a few, while summer signing Ben Godfrey has also developed well since settling in at Finch Farm.
While it can be frustrating to see the Premier League grind to a halt during the international break, the sporadic period of international fixtures can serve to highlight which players have been performing consistently and with quality at club level.
However not every player that deserves an international call-up is guaranteed to receive one, especially if there is ample competition for places.
We asked for your burning questions about the Blues this week for Goodison News editor Elliott Cuff to answer, and Everton fan Rebecca Shaw asked for our thoughts on Michael Keane having been left out of England’s squad this month.
Michael Keane exclusion from England’s squad being unjust is a hill I’d happily die on. Since Ancelotti was appointed Everton manager the centre-back has improved tenfold, and he’s proven to be quite the leader at the back this season in the absence of club captain Seamus Coleman.
Gareth Southgate will no doubt be rushing to try out new personnel combinations as the European Championships set to take place this summer edge closer, in order to give himself as much information as possible to make an informed decision when the time comes to pick his squad. I don’t think Keane will be included, and I think that’s a travesty.
If you’re looking at who is likely to start for England, it’s mostly likely going to be John Stones and Harry Maguire, while Tyrone Mings could play on the left if Southgate prefers a back-three with Mings being left-footed. Aside from that, Southgate’s current squad includes Conor Coady and Eric Dier, while Declan Rice could play at the back in the worst case scenario.
If we’re judging based on domestic performances this year, Keane should feel aggrieved not to have been included because he has regularly outperformed this season Coady. Wolves have been fairly problematic at the back throughout the campaign, and Coady has not been his usual composed and confident self while lining up for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
It’s not that I think any of England’s options are bad per se, I simply feel that if Southgate is to pick his squad on merit, and that is something he has spoken about doing in the past, then Keane deserves to be picked on the basis that his consistent club performances have seen him earn that inclusion.
In other Everton news, Ancelotti is ‘intent’ on signing Robin Olsen on a permanent basis this summer.