Ezri Konsa tipped for unexpected England role: ‘It’s not his favourite’

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Ezri Konsa could be set to face fresh frustration at the World Cup with England.

The 28-year-old is the only defender to start all three group stage games for Thomas Tuchel's side.

He featured alongside John Stones in the opener before linking up with Marc Guehi against Ghana and Panama.

There have been mixed reviews of the Villa man on the international stage, but he remains a regular so is clearly doing something right.

That may not be enough to secure his place ahead of a round of 32 clash with DR Congo.

Hasselbaink believes a change could be in the pipeline for the Three Lions and Konsa could be the victim of that.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink outlines new role for Aston Villa star Ezri Konsa after injury latest

It was always going to be a difficult summer for Tuchel if injury hit his squad.

He put all his eggs in the Reece James basket, especially after Tino Livramento withdrew from the squad before the tournament begun.

The Newcastle man was replaced by Jarell Quansah, who has since picked up an injury of his own.

That leaves England with a real dilemma moving into the knockout stage over the right side of defence.

Former Three Lions coach Hasselbaink believes it could be wise to start Konsa as a full-back against DR Congo, even if he doesn't like it.

Speaking live via talkSPORT on Monday, he said: "I would go with Konsa, right-back. He's played there for Aston Villa before. It's not his favourite position, but he can do that."

He may have played there before, but does the Villa star truly deserve to be shifted out of his natural position?

Konsa decision could cause trouble for England

It's fair to imagine that the ex-Brentford man could put his annoyance aside to perform for his nation.

The issue is that it risks damaging England's backline after three consecutive starts at the heart of defence.

Last time out against Panama, he completed seven defensive actions including four clearances, one tackle and one block.

He added to that by winning seven duels while also maintaining a 99 per cent pass accuracy in New Jersey.

Moving him after such a positive performance would be strange, especially into a role he hasn't played for well over 12 months.

He has played as a right-back 66 times in his career, but he won't want to take on that job at his first World Cup.