Display’s against Chelsea could have cost England star his place in the World Cup squad says pundit

Gareth Southgate’s England squad didn’t throw up too many surprises, but some fans were suggesting that former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori was unfortunate to be left out.

Tomori has developed and grown as a player since leaving Chelsea for AC Milan, helping the Italian side win the Serie A last season.

Unfortunately for him, Southgate didn’t feel Tomori had done enough to be included in the World Cup squad, and Stan Collymore has given his view on why he believes Tomori didn’t make the cut, speaking in an exclusive interview with CaughtOffside.

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“In terms of Fikayo Tomori, he played for AC Milan at Stamford Bridge and I believe Steve Holland and Gareth Southgate were there. I believe Tomori was at fault for one or two goals that night. Holland and Southgate may have left the stadium and thought, nope, he’s not for us. Let’s stick with what we know – Southgate is a pragmatist and he’s loyal. He rewards loyalty and he rewards players who do well for him.”

Judging a player off one game isn’t always the best idea, but Southgate will naturally be focusing on the Premier League due to the vast amount of his squad current playing in England.

With question marks surrounding the competitiveness of the Italian league, Southgate may have seen the Chelsea game as a bit of an audition for Tomori to see how well he handles playing against these Premier League players.

Ultimately, Southgate took little risk in defence, calling up the likes of Harry Maguire and Conor Coady who he knows and trust from previous tournaments, rather than taking a risk on the former Chelsea defender.