Gareth Southgate has hinted that Crystal Palace’s Tyrick Mitchell could join club-mates Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher in the England squad next week.
Southgate is facing a left-back crisis for this month’s friendlies against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast, with Ben Chilwell and Kieran Trippier injured, and Luke Shaw yesterday included in the squad despite recently returning from Covid and injury.
The England manager has revealed Mitchell, 22, was "very close" to a maiden call-up and suggested he may have a chance after this weekend’s fixtures, particularly if Shaw is left out again for Manchester United.
"Tyrick, we’ve been really impressed with. He was very close," Southgate said. "I think he’s been very good with his defending, he gets out quickly to people and in the biggest games against top opponents he’s coped really well.
"Look, who knows – we could have changes over the weekend and he’s one in our thoughts."
Southgate also revealed he wanted Palace’s Michael Olise, who was named in the France U-21 squad for the first time, and Fulham’s Portugal U-21 international Fabio Carvalho to defect to England.
"Michael Olise has had a good season with Palace, we like him. We’d definitely like him to be with us," Southgate said.
"There’s an opportunity for him with France who he’s been with since Under-18s, so there’s a decision for him and his family there.
"With Fabio Carvalho, again we like him. We’d like to have included him our U-21s but he hasn’t got an English passport.
"He was able to play in our younger age groups without a passport but he’s got to pass the tests to be able to get the passport, so we couldn’t select him for the 21s. We’d like to have done that. He’s in Portugal’s U-21s, not their seniors but there wasn’t a lot we could do about that.
"This passport test is what everyone has to go through and if you don’t pass it you don’t get it. I don’t think I’d pass it by the way! But that’s the situation."
