Sir Geoff Hurst: The current England players I’d love to have played with

Grosvenor Goals ambassador Sir Geoff Hurst is one of England’s greatest ever players, but who would he have liked to take play from the current crop of English talent in the squad?

Ahead of the Three Lions’ UEFA Nations League games with Croatia and Spain, we caught up with the World Cup final hat-trick hero to get his thoughts.

Gareth Southgate is building a great young side for England at the moment. From defence through to attack, there’s talent all over the field that we can be excited about for the future – and there are certainly a few in today’s side that I would have enjoyed playing alongside.

Many may expect me to say Harry Kane, given that he is a striker who can score goals at the highest level, but I actually think his playing style is too similar to mine and we may not have hit it off. Harry is used to playing as a lone striker, and I always played alongside a second striker.

I’ve gone for another two players that I feel would have benefitted me a lot more in terms of creating chances and helping me to score goals.

1. Kieran Trippier

It might come as a surprise, but I would pick Kieran Trippier as I think he’s been brilliant for England since he has come into the set up.

Kieran had a fantastic World Cup tournament, scoring a great free-kick against Croatia in the semi-final and he delivered dangerous crosses throughout the campaign.

His delivery is as good as any traditional winger I ever played with, and nobody would have enjoyed playing with him more than I would. He makes the art of crossing look so easy, and that’s a valuable skill to possess.

I could see myself getting on the end of his excellent crosses – not now, but during my prime!

2. Dele Alli

I’m a big fan of Dele Alli – he’s developed a great understanding with Harry Kane at Tottenham, and at the top-level football isn’t always about individuality, and his relationship on the field with Harry shows how good he is.

I would certainly have appreciated a partnership with Dele Alli, where you can play and develop an understanding with one another.

Looking back, Alfredo di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas had that in spades for that great Real Madrid side, and it was almost telepathic. Dele has that with Harry, and I am sure he would have created a lot of chances for me during my time.

Comments

comments