What stopped Chelsea starlet being England first choice out of position at the Euros | OneFootball

It was a big moment for Levi Colwill last night as he made his competitive debut for England.

The defender has been an undisputed first choice for Enzo Maresca so far this season, and was rewarded with a callup and a start by his former England U-21s manager and now interim England boss, Lee Carsley.

He played the full game at left back as England beat Ireland 2-1 in the Nations League.

Colwill will have felt that it was only injuries that stopped him making his competitive breakthrough for England a year ago. He was a regular for Mauricio Pochettino at the start of the season, and it was only a series of issues which stopped him playing and killed the momentum that could have seen him go to the Euros. He might even have got some minutes, with Luke Shaw out.

Levi Colwill makes his competitive England debut.

Colwill’s versatility hands him early break

Colwill has come through as a centre back but played just as much for left back at Chelsea. His role in Maresca’s system sees him do a bit of both, and that versatility is giving him an early chance to break into the England team.

He has his limitations, but Colwill’s excellent physical traits and confidence passing into midfield make him an ideal option to “invert” as a full back, rather than going outside. He can be isolated, and always needs good support from a winger ahead of him. Anthon Gordon provided that last night.

It will be very interesting to see where Colwill’s future lies for England and Chelsea going forward. We could well see him play different positions for each for years to come – but generally players tend to pick one as they reach their peak.

Shaw is top option but is injury prone, Ben Chilwell is being frozen out at Chelsea and Colwill is benefitting from it here.