Three players from Everton and Tottenham Hotspur have given the England boss a “wonderful problem” according to the former Scotland international.
Roy Hodgson will know eight or nine of his England starting eleven for this summer’s European Championships, so says Andy Gray.
And the ex-Scotland striker has put the remaining uncertainty down to the impressive performances of a trio of young Lions this season.
Speaking on TalkSPORT’s Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast show on Wednesday, Gray explained: “I think Roy, if you nailed him down would say: ‘I’ve got an idea of maybe eight or nine of my players, who I’d like in the side’.
“But I do think there are some question marks going round and I think that’s because the rise of (Ross) Barkley this season, the rise of Dele Alli and Eric Dier this season. These are players who have given Roy a wonderful problem: Who do you pick?
“Now (he’s) got competition for places where it didn’t happen 18 months ago.
“I don’t think he’s settled on his team and I think these next couple of games will be absolutely vital for him to have a look at certain formations, certain players, certain areas and then make up his mind from there.”
| Position | Team | Goals + Goal Assist | Appearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dele Alli | MF | Tottenham | 16 | 29 | 2,129 |
| Ross Barkley | MF | Everton | 15 | 29 | 2,529 |
| James Milner | MF | Liverpool | 12 | 23 | 1,989 |
| Adam Lallana | MF | Liverpool | 9 | 24 | 1,741 |
| Michail Antonio | MF | West Ham | 8 | 18 | 1,342 |
| Marc Albrighton | MF | Leicester | 7 | 31 | 2,440 |
| Mark Noble | MF | West Ham | 7 | 29 | 2,521 |
| Nathan Redmond | MF | Norwich | 7 | 28 | 1,913 |
| Jonjo Shelvey | MF | Swansea / Newcastle | 6 | 25 | 2,027 |
| James Ward-Prowse | MF | Southampton | 6 | 28 | 1,447 |
Tottenham’s Alli and Everton’s Barkley are by far and away the most productive English midfielders in this season’s Premier League, scoring or creating 16 and 15 goals respectively.
Meanwhile, Dier, who plays alongside Alli at White Hart Lane, has established himself as one of the division’s top defensive midfield players this term, having been converted from a defensive role by head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Barkley, who was part of Hodgson’s squad for the 2014 World Cup, has been capped 19 times to date, while Alli and Dier have made a mere six appearances between them.
Alli, who moved to Spurs from Milton Keynes Dons last summer, scored on his first start for the Three Lions – a superb 25-yard strike in November’s 2-0 friendly win against France.
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