Conor Gallagher has been tracked by England since his loans with Charlton Athletic and Swansea City, Gareth Southgate has revealed.
Conor Gallagher has become another top talent to emerge in the Premier League after successful loan spells in the Football League.
The 21-year-old Chelsea academy graduate starred in a spell with Charlton Athletic, scoring six goals and laying on four assists in 26 games.
His performances earned him a move to a higher-placed Championship club, joining Swansea City. He went on to provide seven assists in 21 outings for the Swans, marking a thoroughly impressive first full season of senior football.
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Now, it has emerged that his performances for the Addicks and the Swans helped him first break onto England’s radar.
As quoted by the Evening Standard, England boss Gareth Southgate made the revelation following Gallagher’s call-up to the first-team. Here’s what he had to say:
“We’ve been very impressed with him.
“We’ve tracked him for a very long time in his loan spells at Charlton, Swansea – we knew the staff there very well – at West Brom and now at Crystal Palace.
“In each loan, he has done extremely well. He has started the season very well with Palace.”
Could he make his debut?
Gallagher’s step up to the Three Lions amid a number of withdrawals gives him the chance to pick up his first England cap on Monday.
You’d think there’s a good chance of it happening too, with minnows San Marino awaiting Southgate’s side. England need a win or a draw to confirm their qualification for the World Cup, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the side rotated somewhat given their opponents, so the door may well open for Gallagher to feature.
The Epsom-born ace has plenty of experience for England’s youth sides, so it will be interesting to see if he gets his first cap in Sam Marino.
