has praised Conor Gallagher for his energetic and industrious performance on debut for England, though he says the starlet needs to add more precision to his final ball.
The 22-year-old worked tirelessly in Saturday’s 2-1 friendly victory over Switzerland at Wembley, harassing and harrying the opposition, and assisted the Three Lions’ equaliser when his cross into the box evaded everyone and fell to Luke Shaw, who fired home emphatically.
Although Gallagher received plenty of plaudits for his performance, Gareth Southgate felt there were some as a result of playing both the loanee and , while he also highlighted a slight wastefulness.
Speaking to ITV after the game, the England boss said of Gallagher: ‘I thought he did very well. I think Conor’s pressing is infectious. I think a couple of times with the ball he could have been a little bit tidier.
‘But to go into a game against quality opposition like that, I like the fact that when he presses he turns the ball over. He doesn’t just go and stop short and put people under pressure, he actually goes and wins the ball back.’
ITV pundit Wright very much enjoyed Gallagher’s all-action display, though, like Southgate, felt there was room for improvement when it came to his passing and precision in the final third.
‘He was fantastic,’ said Wright. ‘You heard Gareth say that he loved the pressing, it’s infectious. Patrick Vieira talks about it all the time.
‘And when you watch the way he plays, he can get himself forward. Once he [intercepts], he’s off. That’s what Gareth said, he’s not just winning the ball, he’s off [running in behind].
‘But I think this is what Gareth is saying about the bits he might need to tidy up. He’s got Harry Kane, you want to give him the ball where he can get onto it and shoot but he just played it behind him and it’s taken the impetus out of the attack. But in respect of what he contributed today: fantastic.’
Fellow pundit Roy Keane echoed Wright’s sentiments, adding: ‘Brilliant – but Gareth’s also keeping him on his toes and there’s parts of his game he can improve on, of course. But I thought he was excellent.’
Speaking about his own performance, Gallagher told Sky Sports afterwards: ‘All I need to do is keep performing for Palace and for England. I need to keep trying to work hard.
‘I was a little bit nervous but not too much. I was just excited to be honest, I was trying to take it all in and do the best I could.
‘I was trying to do what I am best at – trying to press and win the ball back and trying to create chances. I felt like we could have done better in the first half but the game opened up in the second and I think overall it was a good performance.’
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