Aston Villa defender, Ezri Konsa has received his first England call-up following the dropout of some other stars.
For the first time, Aston Villa centre-back, Ezri Konsa, has been called up to the England senior national team.
Fans have been clamouring for the defender to be called up by Gareth Southgate following his excellent recent form.
In the past year, under Unai Emery, Konsa has been one of the most improved players in the Villans squad.
Villa’s rise up the Premier League under the Spaniard has coincided with the Englishman’s standards improving.
With Tyrone Mings injured and Pau Torres playing his first Premier League season, Konsa had to step up and he has. Against Fulham, he was ‘stellar‘ once again.
Why Ezri Konsa deserves an England call-up
Fans in B6 have been demanding Gareth Southgate bring the centre back into his setup following his consistent form.
The Villa faithful have got their wish today as he was brought into the fold following the announcement on Twitter.
Over the past year, the Englishman has become integral to Emery’s system such as his ability on and off the ball.
According to Fbref, Konsa is in the top six percentile for pass completion in Europe’s top five leagues. With 91% per 90, he is fulfilling his manager’s philosophy and some.
Despite his defensive stats not being anything crazy. It is a testament to the quality of Villa right now, he doesn’t have to do much defending.
The key part of his game right now is passing, maintaining possession and contributing to forward moves.
A different factor that he has that others in his position may not is that he is adept at dribbling the ball out of defence.
He only attempts 0.28 progressive carries per game but in recent weeks it has been clear he is doing this more often.
With his calmness on the ball and ability, he is more than deserving of this call-up.
