Hargreaves tips Edwards for England after his solo run against Spurs
‘There’s always space for a player like that in the team’: Owen Hargreaves tips Marcus Edwards for an England call-up after he almost scored and amazing goal against Tottenham… as Peter Crouch drools over the ‘spectacular’ Sporting Lisbon star
- Marcus Edwards’ solo run almost ended in a goal for Sporting against Tottenham
- The 23-year-old danced around Spurs defenders as he surged towards goal
- Owen Hargreaves thinks Gareth Southgate should consider calling up Edwards
- Peter Crouch and Jermaine Jenas were equally wowed by Edwards’ performance
- The attacking star was let go by Spurs in 2019 after playing one first team game
Owen Hargreaves tipped Sporting Lisbon star Marcus Edwards to be called up for the England senior team after a magnificent first half display against Tottenham in the Champions League.
It was a notable night for Edwards, who lined up against the club that let him go in 2019 – after he had only made only one first team appearance.
But the 23-year-old did not let that affect him as he starred in a false nine role for Sporting and almost opened the scoring just before half-time with an incredible solo goal.
Marcus Edwards almost scored a spectacular goal for Sporting Lisbon against Tottenham
Picking the ball up just inside the opposition half, Edwards surged towards goal and danced around several Spurs players as he did so. Challenges came flying in but he avoided them in magical fashion.
After playing a one-two with Francisco Trincao, Edwards wriggled away from a couple more defenders before his close-range shot was kept out by Hugo Lloris.
Just before the start of the second half in Portugal, BT Sport co-commentator Hargreaves was asked by commentator Ian Darke about whether Edwards was in line for a Three Lions call-up.
‘How can he not when he’s playing like that?’ Hargreaves replied. ‘There were loads of internationals and he was the best player on the pitch. That’s what you want as a player, an opportunity. He can play in different positions.
The 23-year-old danced around Spurs defenders as he surged towards goal in the first half
Owen Hargreaves has tipped the 23-year-old to earn a call up to the England senior squad
‘He’s playing as a false nine really well and can play as a number 10. He just takes the ball so well. I think there’s always a space for a player like that in the team.
Gareth Southgate will announce his England squad on Thursday ahead of two Nations League fixtures later this month – the Three Lions’ last matches before the World Cup.
BT Sport’s studio pundits were equalled wowed by Edwards’ first half performance, particularly his almost perfect solo run.
‘This was spectacular,’ Peter Crouch said. ‘There’s not many passages of play that have all of us on our feet and we were at this moment. I know we’ve got a foot in the Spurs camp but this was an unbelievable run.
‘So much technique and ability, just couldn’t manage the finish. But an amazing passage of play.’
Jermaine Jenas added: ‘It’s one of those runs just from a football purist’s side of things, you look at it and go “go on then, finish it”. You’ve done everything right, it’s incredible. The body swerving, the movement, the control.
Fellow BT Sport pundit Peter Crouch was equally wowed by Edwards’ ‘spectacular’ display
Edwards joined Sporting Lisbon in January after two and a half years at Vitoria de Guimaraes
‘You’ve got to give credit to Lloris, last line of defence. Gets a real decent arm, a bit of luck. But it’s a big, big save.’
London-born Edwards was capped 49 times by England at youth level and was part of the under-19 side that won the European Championships in 2017.
He left Spurs in 2019 to sign for Portuguese side Vitoria de Guimaraes and 20 goals in 85 appearances earned him a move to Sporting in January of this year.
The attacking star has scored three goals in seven appearances so far this season, including one against Eintracht Frankfurt in the first round of Champions League matches.
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