The West Ham players who should be considered for England selection

Aaron Cresswell  

After a couple of years of decline, it seems as if Aaron Cresswell has recovered his best form. The 31-year-old left back has had a fantastic season at West Ham and he has been close to replicating some of the form he showed in his early West Ham career, which got him called up to the England squad in the first place.

Defensive, Cresswell has been great and he has really improved from last season where he looked very shaky on occasions. According to WhoScored the defender has made an average of 1.1 tackles, 1 interception and 2.3 clearances per game, which are impressive stats for a player who has spent most of his time at left-back.

However, it is his attacking contribution that has got him praise this season as the Englishman has registered seven Premier League assists, which is more than any other left-back in the league. Cresswell has a lethal delivery from set pieces, which would give Southgate more depth and options from with either side of the pitch as the Englishman is left footed.

Another reason why the 31-year-old should be in with a shout of a call up in the summer is his versatility. Cresswell has operated as a left-back, left wing-back and as a left-sided centre-back in a back three. This suits Southgate’s style as the England manager likes to play with three at the back and with wing-backs, and Cresswell can play in either position. It would make a lot of sense to bring him.

The left-back did manage to get himself into the England setup in 2016, which means that he will have experience of being in the squad – which can only be a good thing.

However, like Dawson, his age may well hold him back from being recalled as he doesn’t fit in with Southgate’s preferred age range. If the England boss was to look at the bigger picture then Cresswell would be a great addition and he would really suit England’s setup.

While it may be unlikely to see Cresswell and Dawson get called up to the squad, it is encouraging to see more than one West Ham player get considered for the England squad. It is commonly said that West Ham won England the World Cup in 1966, so could we see a repeat of history and see the Hammers win England Euro 2020?