BBC football pundit Fara Williams has backed Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap to get an England call-up later this week.
Delap, 22, has been one of few bright spots in a tough top tier season for the Blues, often bullying world class defenders and bagging 10 goals in 27 games so far.
And that’s prompted former England international Williams to suggest that he may get a call-up when new national boss Thomas Tuchel names his first squad on Friday.
Thomas Tuchel in the stands at Selhurst Park on Saturday
The German has reportedly drawn up a 55-name long list of players who could be included, and was in the stands at Selhurst Park as Delap and Town lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
While he apparently texted Palace’s England hopefuls – the likes of Dean Henderson, Adam Wharton, Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze – a good luck message before the game, he would no doubt have also been keen to have a look at Delap.
And in her latest column for BBC Sport, Williams said she believes Delap offers something that no other English striker does.
“Liam Delap has shone in an Ipswich team that are potentially going to go back down and could be a real option for Tuchel,” she wrote.
Fara Williams has backed Delap for England
“In terms of his goals and his presence, he has an ugly, old-school type of approach to his game. I don’t think any of the other English strikers have that.
“He has that style of being willing to have a fight with a defender even as a lone striker and I don’t think the others have that in their locker.
“In terms of what he does with the ball in front of goal, he’s a really calm finisher. He’s somebody that given time is definitely an option for Tuchel and he could look at him in this squad as a back-up to Harry Kane, who cannot play forever.
“To get those goals and have the season he has had in a very average Ipswich team in the Premier League, it has not been easy.”
Liam Delap has bagged 10 Premier League goals so far this season
Williams concluded: “In terms of finishing in the box, he is similar to Kane but I don’t think Kane has the physical side in the same way.
“Delap is better at that than him but he is not able to drop into pockets and find forward passes as well as Kane can.
“Delap has some similar attributes to Kane but also offers something different and is definitely in with a shout for featuring in the upcoming international break.”
England host Albania in a World Cup qualifier on Friday, March 21st, in Tuchel’s first game in charge.
They then entertain Latvia in another qualifier on Monday, March 24th.
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