When it comes to young centre-backs eligible for England, there\u2019s few, if any at all, better than Fikayo Tomori.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s been excellent for AC Milan<\/a> this season. Cast aside by Chelsea<\/a> in favour of Thiago Silva<\/a>, he\u2019s put his head down and worked hard. This attitude alone is highly commendable, but Tomori also has bags of talent to back it up.<\/p>\n He\u2019s technically solid, defensively steady and extremely quick. He\u2019s the ideal centre-half when it comes to pressing high up the pitch.<\/p>\n As we\u2019ve seen before, he can strike a ball, too. Chelsea fans won\u2019t forget his thunderbolt of a strike against Wolverhampton Wanderers<\/a> back in 2019 any time soon.<\/p>\n Chelsea have a habit of squandering their academy products. Ultimately, they can afford to do so, but it\u2019s a shame for the talented youngsters coming up through their ranks. Tomori looks to be the next, with a permanent move to AC Milan growing ever closer<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, this has nothing to do with him missing out on the Euros. It begs the question \u2013 why has Tomori been overlooked by Gareth Southgate<\/a>?<\/p>\n Some may say that Tomori was left out due to him not playing in England, but this is a baseless theory. Jude Bellingham<\/a> and Jadon Sancho will be going to the Euros, both of whom play for Borussia Dortmund.<\/p>\n David Beckham and Owen Hargreaves are historic examples of English players outside of the Premier League playing a role in the England team. Granted, it\u2019s rare for English footballers to play abroad, but far from unheard of.<\/p>\n The likelihood is that Tomori was left out due to his lack of international experience. This, however, presents us with a paradox \u2013 how can he gain experience if he\u2019s never offered a chance? He\u2019s not even been involved in the pre-tournament friendlies.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a shame for him and it sends out a negative message to the rest of England\u2019s young stars. As a counterargument, there\u2019s plenty of young blood in the England squad already. Perhaps Southgate wants to achieve a balance between experience and youth, with Tomori\u2019s absence being a consequence of this.<\/p>\n There\u2019s two immediately apparent answers to this question \u2013 Tyrone Mings and Ben White<\/a>. In the friendlies preceding the Euros, Mings looked shaky at best.<\/p>\n He\u2019s had a solid, if unspectacular season for Aston Villa this season. Generally, he\u2019s been less impressive than his centre-back partner, Ezri Konsa. Mings does bring versatility to the table, as he can be deployed as a left back. As England already have Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell though, this probably won\u2019t be necessary.<\/p>\n Of England\u2019s centre-halves in the squad, Mings seems like the weakest. He\u2019s not a bad player by any means, but he does have a mistake in him. For his age, Tomori has a much more composed demeanour on the pitch. If Tomori should replace anyone in the England squad, it should be Mings.<\/p>\n Ben White is a superior player to Mings, but is he better than Tomori? Currently, you would have to say yes. He\u2019s great on the ball and is a decent passer, which is an invaluable trait for modern centre-halves to have.<\/p>\n He\u2019s only 23 and has shown great promise at both Brighton & Hove Albion <\/a>and Leeds United. Some have criticised his inclusion, but he\u2019s a talented footballer and has looked impressive in his limited playing time for England.<\/p>\n Brighton certainly rate him highly. They\u2019ve not been brilliant defensively, but this can be attributed to their cavalier style of football, rather than any of White\u2019s deficiencies.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Fikayo Tomori will have to wait for his chance. However, he\u2019s likely to be a regular in the England team once he finally gets that all-important opportunity.<\/p>\n Main PhotoFikayo Tomori: An Underserved England Absentee<\/h2>\n
Why Has Tomori Missed Out on the England Squad?<\/h3>\n
Who Should Tomori Replace?<\/h3>\n
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>