Leicester City's Liam Moore
Gareth Southgate is looking forward to taking a closer look at Leicester City’s Liam Moore this week, as England Under-21s prepare to meet up for their Euro games with Finland and San Marino.
The central defender, who can also play at right-back, has been in good form with Nigel Pearson’s side in the Championship this season and has caught Southgate’s eye.
And the Three Lions head coach admits that it will be a good opportunity for the 20-year-old to impress at St. George's Park.
“I’ve watched him a couple of times myself and we’ve also had good reports from our scouts,” Southgate told TheFA.com
“Leicester have been doing well and he’s a good defender, he’s athletic and he seems to enjoy defending, which is an art - although I am bound to say that as an ex-defender.
“But I think he’s played well for a consistent period and we think it will be good to get him into the squad and see how he compares to the others.
“It will be good for him to come in and train with some of our guys and see how he develops.”
England take on Finland in Milton Keynes next Thursday, before San Marino visit Shrewsbury on Tuesday 19 November with these games being the last fixtures of 2013 for Southgate’s team.
With a largely similar squad to that used in the games with San Marino and Lithuania last month, Moore is the only new face this time.
And Southgate expects his arrival in the group, almost a year on from his Under-21s debut against Northern Ireland, to provide more competition for places in defence.
“When you look at it, it’s a position where match experience is important,” he explained.
“If you look at forwards, they can work on what they do in tight areas in small-sided games, but playing as a centre-back, the more experience that you get in match scenarios, the better you become.
“So I think centre-backs mature later and at the moment, the guys in our squad are relatively inexperienced in League terms.
“Liam has a bit more of that experience so it will be good to see how he compares to the others."
Tickets for both games are priced at £10 for adults and £5 for a concession and a family ticket can be bought for £20. Tickets for the game against Finland can be purchased online at http://www.mkdons.com/tickets/ or by calling the MK Dons Box office on 01908 622900. Tickets for the San Marino game can be purchased by calling Shrewsbury Town’s ticket hotline on 01743273943.
The central defender, who can also play at right-back, has been in good form with Nigel Pearson’s side in the Championship this season and has caught Southgate’s eye.
And the Three Lions head coach admits that it will be a good opportunity for the 20-year-old to impress at St. George's Park.
“I’ve watched him a couple of times myself and we’ve also had good reports from our scouts,” Southgate told TheFA.com
“Leicester have been doing well and he’s a good defender, he’s athletic and he seems to enjoy defending, which is an art - although I am bound to say that as an ex-defender.
“But I think he’s played well for a consistent period and we think it will be good to get him into the squad and see how he compares to the others.
“It will be good for him to come in and train with some of our guys and see how he develops.”
England take on Finland in Milton Keynes next Thursday, before San Marino visit Shrewsbury on Tuesday 19 November with these games being the last fixtures of 2013 for Southgate’s team.
With a largely similar squad to that used in the games with San Marino and Lithuania last month, Moore is the only new face this time.
And Southgate expects his arrival in the group, almost a year on from his Under-21s debut against Northern Ireland, to provide more competition for places in defence.
“When you look at it, it’s a position where match experience is important,” he explained.
“If you look at forwards, they can work on what they do in tight areas in small-sided games, but playing as a centre-back, the more experience that you get in match scenarios, the better you become.
“So I think centre-backs mature later and at the moment, the guys in our squad are relatively inexperienced in League terms.
“Liam has a bit more of that experience so it will be good to see how he compares to the others."
Tickets for both games are priced at £10 for adults and £5 for a concession and a family ticket can be bought for £20. Tickets for the game against Finland can be purchased online at http://www.mkdons.com/tickets/ or by calling the MK Dons Box office on 01908 622900. Tickets for the San Marino game can be purchased by calling Shrewsbury Town’s ticket hotline on 01743273943.
