Whenever English players were doing well at Celtic there was a weekly clamour for whatever manager was in charge at the time to call them up, Alan Thompson, Chris Sutton, Gary Hooper and most recently Fraser Forster.
And yet, at a time when there is a severe shortage of quality centre-halves, with injury doubts over two of Gareth Southgate’s likely picks, there has been not one voice brave enough to suggest that Rangers own Connor Goldson should be up for consideration when the squad is announced next week.
He’s played every minute of every game this season – in itself not worthy of international honours – but the consistency he has displayed has been remarkable, reserving his best performances for the Europa League and Old Firm derbies, in short, he can be trusted under the most intense pressure.
Goldson has experience of the Premier League, he also has all the tools needed to be an international player. He is physically imposing, good in the air, is an excellent communicator, a goal threat at set-pieces, a leader but, perhaps more importantly, he is comfortable in possession – imagine the raking diagonal passes he plays to Ryan Kent having Raheem Sterling or Jadon Sancho on the end of them.
Vital Rangers Goal of the Season
Defoe v Livingston
Roofe v Standard Liege
Jack v Kilmarnock
Tavernier v Dundee United
He isn’t on the level of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry or Jamie Carragher, but few are nowadays, he is, however, better than James Tarkowski, Conor Coady, Michael Keane and Eric Dier, I’m biased, but I’d also say he was a more rounded and less error prone defender than Tyrone Mings, who is almost guaranteed a place if he is fit.
Other than playing in Scotland, which isn’t an issue for the Croatian, Swedish, Colombian or Nigerian national team managers, there is no reason why Goldson shouldn’t be considered, the squads are big enough that Southgate could easily have a look at him in training first to make his mind up – he won’t though, and England will be worse off for it.