As England prepare for life under interim coach Lee Carsley, Lille’s Angel Gomes spoke to the media at St George’s Park on Thursday.
The 24-year-old midfielder received his first call-up to the senior team as Carsley named his first team since replacing Gareth Southgate after defeat in the EURO 2024 final. Carsley is no stranger to Gomes though, having coached the youngster throughout the age groups.
The Three Lions will face the Republic of Ireland at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off scheduled for 17:00 UK.
What did Angel Gomes say?
Despite being eligible to play for both Portugal and England, Angel Gomes’ intentions have always been clear. England has been the dream for the midfielder, and having enjoyed previous success under Lee Carsley at the UEFA European Under-21 Championships in 2023, the desire to break into the senior team was simply reinforced.
Gomes told reporters that upon finding out he’d been called up to Carsley’s first-ever senior squad, his first reaction was “I wonder if Morgan [Gibbs-White] has been called up!”
The pair were close throughout their youth careers, and Gomes admitted that he “didn’t want to ring him because I didn’t know if he’d found out [if he had been called up] or not… but my dad told me to just ring him.”
Embed from Getty ImagesGibbs-White was one of three other youngsters handed their first senior call-up by Carsley, and Gomes revealed that “when he answered, we both just looked at each other and starting smiling before anyone said anything.”
“It’s something we’ve spoke about for the longest time. We won the [U17] World Cup together, and the last tournament at the [U23] EUROs was special for us because in our case, it was the last time we’d play with each other unless we got called up to the seniors.”
Gomes’ path to the senior international stage hasn’t been straightforward. Game time at Old Trafford was hard to come by, and in 2020, he made the decision to leave Manchester United in search of consistent minutes elsewhere.
Lille was his next destination, but he’d require a loan spell in Portugal with Boavista before breaking into the first team in France. Reflecting on that journey, Gomes admitted: “When I left, it was more for the idea of bettering myself as a player and as a person.”
“Going through the journey I went through, I knew that eventually I’d be able to create a pathway for myself and be able to be in this position that I’m in now. It was difficult leaving the club I’d been at since I was six [years old] and heading into the unknown.”
“But from then, it’s been an uphill trajectory with a lot of difficult moments to go through. Being in this position now makes everything worth it,” he added.
Embed from Getty ImagesGiven that French football isn’t followed too closely within England, Gomes was asked to summarise his playing style after being described by Carsley as a “unique” talent.
“I’d like to say I’m just a midfielder: I can operate in all three roles. I can play as the deep-lying midfielder, as a number eight and as a number 10.”
“I just love to play in the midfield and be able to distribute and help the team play in all different areas of the pitch. I’m confident, I like being on the ball and I like taking responsibility so that’s more or less my game,” he concluded.
Gomes will be hoping he’s proven himself in training and can earn his first senior minutes in Dublin on Saturday, as Carsley returns back to the Republic of Irish capital – albeit in the away dugout this time.
