Gary Neville calls for surprise player to make England squad as he is 'very suited' to international football

In the aftermath of Friday night's clash between Leicester City and Nottingham Forest, Gary Neville sparked plenty of debate when he identified the type of player that England are missing right now.

Nottingham Forest climbed up to fifth in the Premier League after goals from Ryan Yates and Chris Wood [2] sealed a 3-1 victory at the King Power.

Wood, who has netted seven goals in nine league games this season, was naturally the big talking point at full-time as the New Zealand international played down rivalling the "formidable" Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot.

But in his post-match analysis with Sky Sports, Gary Neville was keen to single out Leicester midfielder Harry Winks.

Winks, who joined the Foxes from Spurs last summer for a reported £10 million, has been one of their standout performers since joining the club and on Friday, he started the move that got Leicester back in the game.

After a swift one-two with Ricardo Pereira near the centre circle, Winks burst forward before exchanging passes down the left channel. The 28-year-old then delivered a perfectly-weighted cross for Vardy to tap home to make it 1-1.

As he watched a replay of the goal, Neville was full of praise for Winks. “He was absolutely outstanding – this typified his first half,” he said on Sky Sports. “A little pass around the corner… Harry Winks is a player who you think could play at international level.

“I know he has played at international level, but I look at him and think England lack a player who can get us playing. And he is very good at that. He might be better suited to international football actually than club football.”

Winks impressed on his senior England debut in 2017, when he was awarded the Player of the Match award for his efforts against Lithuania.

"I was really pleased [with Winks], I thought he showed great maturity, he didn't look fazed by wearing an England shirt," said then-manager Gareth Southgate.

"His quality on the ball was good, he was the one that found forward passes and he looked to play forward. I thought he could be very proud of his debut."

"I look at him and I think England lack a player who can get us playing, and he's very suited for that."

Gary Neville thinks that Harry Winks SHOULD be in the England squad 👀 pic.twitter.com/neeNWalnBH

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 25, 2024

The 28-year-old midfielder, who has won 10 caps for the Three Lions, still has hopes of playing for his country.

When asked if he still feels like he can play for England again in the future, Winks told BBC East Midlands Today in February: "I'd like to think so. But the most important thing is you have to show it. It's not about what I think, it's about showing it.

"This year has been a good platform for me to go out and show what my strengths are, what I can bring to the team and to try get a run of games where I can play regularly and show it."