After being called up to the Nations League games tacked on to the end of last season, Conor Gallagher would have been hoping that these two games in this international break would have been his springboard to forcing his way into the World Cup squad.
Instead, after a rocky start to the season with Chelsea, he’s been dropped down to the Under 21 squad again.
It was there he spoke to the media about his conversation with senior manager Gareth Southgate, who told him what he needed to do to get on that plane.
“But I took it on the chin. Gareth spoke to me and said what I need to do to give myself the best chance to get in the squad,” he explained in quotes picked up by the sun.
“It was the things that you would expect. Just, regular football, performing well consistently, those are the most important things.
“I’m very happy and thankful that he said that. I’m going to work as hard as I can and try to impress him to give myself the biggest chance.”
The problem for Gallagher is that he won’t get a senior game for England before the tournament now. Even Mason Mount’s place is under threat, and he’s been a Southgate regular for some time.
Jude Bellingham has surely forced his way into the team now, and the queue ahead of Gallagher just keeps growing.
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