Jose Mourinho reacts to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s cameo appearance v Croatia
Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin made his debut for England at a major tournament against Croatia on Sunday.
The Toffees star came off the bench to replace match winner Raheem Sterling in the closing seconds of the game.
Calvert-Lewin did not get to touch the ball as the referee blew the final whistle just moments after he came on.
However, AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho believes such gesture from manager Gareth Southgate to the Everton star and other fringe players could keep the squad happy.
“If he can help the group to be happier, if he can, like he did today, maybe these few minutes of Calvert-Lewin…they mean happiness,” the former Tottenham Hotspur manager told talkSPORT.
“Of course he wants to play, but he knows Harry Kane is there, he knows Marcus Rashford is there. And he played three-four minutes…he didn’t touch the ball, but he played, he was there, he was on the pitch.”
Spot on
While DCL would have loved to play more, he knows competition for opportunities are stiff, and that should keep him on his toes.
That is good for us as it would help him return to Goodison Park as a better player.
Challenging both Kane and Rashford for a place would only make him a better striker, but getting a few minutes would also do his confidence some good.
The Everton hitman will be looking to convince Southgate at training by putting in the hard yards and improving on his overall game and finishing, and he could be rewarded with more minutes as a result.
England play Scotland and the Czech Republic next, and advancing to the knockout stages would be guaranteed with one more win.
Calvert-Lewin could get the chance to start the last group game, and will need to impress whenever given the opportunity.
Keeping 26 players happy is a tough task, and Southgate has to do all his best to give everyone a chance.
That could play a huge role in England’s chances of winning the European Championship, and it will be interesting to see what his subsequent team selections are like.
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