England have craved a tempo-setting passer at the base of midfield for so long that their absence has entered footballing lore. Mere mention of Owen Hargreaves or Michael Carrick is sure to set the Three Lions' fanbase grumbling about what might have been achieved at tournaments past.

Even if England have acknowledged that maybe Sven Goran Eriksson probably should have dropped one of the big boys to make room for someone who didn't want to hare upfield, the absence of a deep-lying playmaker has persistently caused headaches. A fair few of the challenges in their agonizing progression Euro 2024 final might have been mitigated if only there was a controlling midfielder alongside Declan Rice. Kobbie Mainoo looked like a talent but not one who could make the progressive passes upfield to drag

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