The Verdict: Who England should’ve called up to replace Dele Alli

Perhaps because there isn’t much time left until England’s friendly with Switzerland on Tuesday night, the Three Lions have announced they won’t be calling up a replacement for Dele Alli following news the Tottenham midfielder has withdrawn from Gareth Southgate’s squad due to injury.

But we at Football FanCast reckon that represents a valuable opportunity wasted for England – Switzerland are strong opposition that will give the Three Lions a good game and there are certainly a number of English talents who deserve their chance to impress within the international setup.

With that in mind, we’ve given our writers one simple question – who should England have called up to replace the Spurs midfielder, who Transfermarkt value at £90million? Read their verdicts below…

Greg Potts – James Maddison

“Southgate should have used Alli’s injury as a chance to introduce Leicester’s new signing James Maddison into the senior England setup for the first time. Maddison’s storming season for Norwich last term got him the big-money move to the Foxes and he has already proved that he has the talent to produce in the Premier League. The 21-year-old is a classy, attack-minded midfielder with quick feet in a similar mould to Alli and has earned his right for a call up.”

James Beavis – Callum Wilson

“With Ruben Loftus-Cheek ready to step in for Alli against Switzerland, Southgate should have taken advantage of yet another withdrawal to introduce another striker into his squad. Harry Kane seems unlikely to play the duration at the King Power Stadium, and with Marcus Rashford having picked up a knock against Spain, the only other option is Danny Welbeck. Wilson arguably deserved a call-up originally following his bright start to the Premier League season with Bournemouth, and he should have been given the opportunity to pick up his first cap and make an impression in a friendly game in Alli’s absence.”

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Josh Challies – Lewis Cook

“The 21-year-old Bournemouth man certainly stood out as the leading candidate to replace Alli and should have got the edge over Manchester City starlet Phil Foden due to his experience, which includes being named amongst England’s back-ups for the World Cup. While he is yet to start for the Cherries this season, Cook remains an important part of Eddie Howe’s side and he should have certainly been promoted from the U21 ranks alongside Ben Chilwell and Demarai Gray.”

Danielle Joynson – Will Hughes

“Given that Tuesday’s game against Switzerland is a friendly, Southgate can afford to give fringe players a chance to prove their ability. Instead of opting against calling up a replacement for Dele Alli, he should have turned to Watford midfielder Will Hughes. The 23-year-old may not be the obvious choice, but he could provide an extra creative spark to the Three Lions. Currently, the former Derby man is in good form having started all four of Watford’s Premier League fixtures, and he found the back of the net against Burnley in their 3-1 triumph.”

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Christy Malyan – Jack Wilshere

“This isn’t a reflection of his West Ham form which has been unspectacular at best but England desperately need a creative passer in their midfield and Jack Wilshere is still probably the best option the Three Lions have. Switzerland would have been the perfect opponents to test that theory against and Wilshere’s at least fit at the moment, even if he’s hardly uprooted trees at the London Stadium. Fabian Delph or Ruben Loftus-Cheek will fill Alli’s void instead, but neither offer Wilshere’s instinctive guile in possession.”Â

Which player do you think should have been called up to replace Alli, England fans? Let us know by voting below…