Ben Chilwell was the best player on the pitch in England’s 7-0 drubbing of Montenegro this evening, ensuring their qualification for the European Championships next summer.
The Leicester left-back had a hat-trick of first-half assists, albeit against weak opposition as he made full advantage of being given the freedom of the Wembley left-hand side.
Chilwell has been one of the stand-out fullbacks in the Premier League this season and has been a key figure in Leicester’s brilliant start. He is sound defensively but has improved his ability in the final third drastically, which was underlined by his threat going forward tonight.
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According to a report in the Sun last month, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is lining up a double swoop for Chilwell and Leicester teammate James Maddison, who made his England debut this evening.
While left-back shouldn’t necessarily be the priority position Solskjaer should be looking to strengthen this summer, Chilwell is the kind of talent that must be considered in the coming transfer windows.
He is two years younger than United’s Luke Shaw, and has already surpassed him as the superior left-back. In fairness, Shaw has been plagued by injuries which has stemmed his development, but the question has to be asked as to whether United can rely on a player who has so many long-term layoffs.
Ashley Young has been a great servant for the Reds but his time at the club is coming to the end and it’s time to look beyond the 34-year-old into the future.
Signing a classy young left-back like Chilwell would give United another dimension going forward, with his deceptive pace and quality of left-footed delivery. England’s first choice left-back would provide a great overlap option for Marcus Rashford or Daniel James down United’s left. He is also strong in one-on-one scenarios and competes well in the air.
Solskjaer’s recruitment plan so far has been young, British talent and Chilwell fits the bill perfectly. He has the potential to be England’s first choice left-back for the next decade and should certainly be considered by United.
However, the difficulty would be in prizing the 22-year-old away from Brendan Rodgers’ side who are currently flying in second place in the league.
Qualification for the summer and 3 assists. Brilliant night on @England 1000th game ❤️🏴 pic.twitter.com/PKKOiCWb42
— Ben Chilwell (@BenChilwell) November 14, 2019
