Aston Villa: Tyrone Mings snub for England is baffling – Sky Sports journalist
There was much surprise when Tyrone Mings’ name was missing from Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers considering his recent form for Aston Villa.
Mings has been widely praised for transforming his defensive game since Unai Emery’s arrival and was rewarded for his efforts with a new long-term contract at the club.
In his last four outings in the Premier League, the 30-year-old has recorded three clean sheets alongside Ezri Konsa and was widely considered as having a great chance of being recalled to the Three Lions set-up after missing out on the Qatar World Cup.
However, the likes of Harry Maguire, Eric Dier and Marc Guehi were all preferred to Mings in the 25-man squad, which takes on Italy and Ukraine over the coming fortnight.
Considering the Englishman’s recent form and the fact he has recorded 14 clean sheets from 18 appearances for Southgate’s side, the decision looks yet more baffling.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Sky Sports and The Athletic’s Dan Bardell was baffled by Mings’ latest snub, especially considering the poor form of Spurs defender Dier.
“The Tyrone Mings decision I find baffling,” he said.
“He has an outstanding record for England. He’s left-footed and he’s never let England down at any stage at all.
“He was dropped from the squad last year because of form, which was fair enough, but you look at the squad and he is up against Eric Dier and Conor Coady.
“You’ve got Stones and Maguire who are definitely in there, and Marc Guehi who is the up-and-coming defender and then you’ve got a fourth space that Mings is fighting for.
“For the life of me, I cannot see what Dier has done to get in that squad. He hasn’t had a good season, Tottenham aren’t having a good time, the fans aren’t mad keen on him and he has struggled this season overall.
“You couple that with the fact that Mings is in really good form at the moment, keeping clean sheets and has been offered a new contract by Emery, I can’t understand how Dier gets in that squad ahead of Mings.”
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