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da spicy bet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
When Gareth Southgate named his England squad for the upcoming UEFA EURO 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo, there were a few names on the list who caused eyebrows to be raised – there were also some notable exclusions.
Jesse Lingard included? Really? The Manchester United man has four goals and three assists in his last 31 Premier League appearances!
No Kyle Walker? For a man with 48 caps to his name, it seems strange to leave him out for no apparent reason.
Tyrone Mings also made the squad – deservedly for his efforts in the Championship last term, although he hasn’t set the world alight in the Premier League so far in 2019/20.
Nevertheless, it is another Aston Villa player who definitely should have been left out of Southgate’s squad in favour of Southampton glovesman Angus Gunn.
Tom Heaton.
Granted, the 33-year-old already has three caps for the Three Lions and is a familiar face in the senior squad, but his inclusion over Gunn makes little sense.
In terms of longevity, the Saints man would represent the better long-term option for England at just 23 years of age – getting him involved in the side now would be invaluable for his development.
Where Gunn does have that room to develop and grow, Heaton is arguably the finished product at 33 – is there really any value in having him around the squad when it seems likely that Jordan Pickford will play in both games?
Additionally, Gunn has had the harder start to the new Premier League season having faced Liverpool and Manchester United, but has still helped his side pick up four points – Heaton has earned a point less with Villa despite facing Crystal Palace, Everton, Tottenham and Bournemouth.
In his four starts so far, Gunn has kept a clean sheet and made 15 saves whilst conceding six goals.
Heaton also has one clean sheet and has also conceded six, but has made only 10 saves.
With everything taken into account, Southgate may have made a logistical mistake in picking Heaton over Gunn.
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