England boss Thomas Tuchel will have a lot of time to ponder who makes his Three Lions squad ahead of the World Cup in the summer – and one Everton star may just be afforded a last-gasp place in the squad.
Everton boasted just one player in Thomas Tuchel’s recent England squad to face Serbia and Albania in World Cup qualification.
Jordan Pickford started in goal, with the Three Lions now being just one game away from having the perfect record, failing to concede in each of their seven qualifying games.
Yet in spite of the likes of Jack Grealish, James Garner and Jarrad Branthwaite knocking on the door for a space in the England squad, there could be another man in James Tarkowski who stands as an outside shout.
Everton defender James Tarkowski.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Everton star James Tarkowski should be in with a shout of making the England squad
James Tarkowski made his England debut in 2018 after excelling for Burnley, having formed a mean partnership with Ben Mee as the Clarets secured Europa League football against the odds.
The Toffees vice-captain, who is also eligible to represent Poland, was named in their pre-World Cup friendly squad in 2018, making his debut against Italy at Wembley.
However, he gave away a penalty in that clash, and it was another six months until Tarkowski played for England again, featuring in a 1-0 home win over Switzerland later that year.
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Named as a standby player for Gareth Southgate for the 2018 World Cup, the colossus had to withdraw after undergoing a hernia operation.
And since then, he’s rarely entered the conversation for a place in the Three Lions squad.
But Tarkowski’s form and a consistent nature in the Premier League – having only missed five Premier League games since his Everton debut in August 2022, means he should always be on Tuchel’s list – especially given he only missed a further five games for Burnley in his final three seasons at Turf Moor.
James Tarkowski has done enough to at least warrant being in the England conversation
Of course, it may be tough for Tarkowski to burst past the likes of Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, John Stones and Harry Maguire into Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
But apart from Guehi and Konsa, the latter duo have not featured regularly for their respective clubs.
Trevoh Chalobah has joined the current England setup but he has been poor for Chelsea, Dan Burn has faltered in recent weeks for Newcastle, and youngster Jarell Quansah has yet to make a cap despite multiple call-ups.
If Tuchel needs a player who will be consistent, with over 300 appearances in the Premier League, he should need to look no longer than the star who has flown under the radar for years.
The former Oldham man has also made a name for himself for vital moments – not least through a heroic volley in the final minute of the Merseyside Derby vs Liverpool back in March.