Crystal Palace attacker Eze is “important” part of Lee Carsley’s England squad

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

England interim head coach Lee Carsley has described Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze as an “important” part of his squad.

The 26-year-old from Greenwich came on as a substitute in 2-0 wins in the Nations League against Finland at Wembley on Tuesday and also against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin at the weekend.

Carsley told the South London Press: “The impact he’s had in both games is very good. He’s a real threat from outside of the box.

“It’s such a tough team to get into. We have to be patient.

“At the minute, I really like the pace out wide. Ebs is a bit different – he’s still quick himself – but Anthony (Gordon) is a different kind of wide player, as is Bukayo (Sako) on the other side.

“He (Eze) is a really talented player, he trains so well and is such a nice guy. He’s an important player for the squad.”

Eze’s appearance against Finland seeing him in the thick of the action, including a number of goalscoring opportunities.

“The impact he’s had in both games is very good,” said Carsley.

“It would have been great if he could have scored (against Finland), he also had a good shot as well in Dublin, which you’d expect him to score from. He’s a real threat from outside of the box.”

Eze has been used by Carsley on the left wing predominantly, moving into the box in attack and linking up play in the middle – a change from his club role which sees him drop in between the midfield and forward lines, picking up the ball deep and taking on players.

PICTURE: PA