Fikayo Tomori slammed as Gareth Southgate told he's right for England snub

17 May 2023 , 08:10

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Gareth Southgate hasn't picked Fikayo Tomori since September (Image: Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Fikayo Tomori 's nightmare performances for AC Milan in the Champions League semi-finals showed why Gareth Southgate hasn't been selecting him for England.

That's according to ex-Three Lions defender Danny Mills, who claims the Chelsea academy graduate's displays leave him "nowhere near" Southgate's squad. Tomori, 25, suffered two bruising defeats to arch enemies Inter, who won 3-0 on aggregate after dominating their Milan rivals, setting up a final next month against either Manchester City or Real Madrid.

Ahead of last Wednesday's first leg, the English centre-back was being bigged-up for good reason, having made himself a staple of Stefano Pioli 's back line since joining the Italian giants in January 2021 and helping them win Serie A in his first full season. But Inter humiliated Tomori and his team-mates, leaving Mills in no doubt as to why Southgate hasn't called him up since last September.

The former Leeds and Man City right-back told TalkSPORT : "There have been a lot of questions asked about Fikayo Tomori - 'why is he not in the England side, why is he not this, that and the other?' In these two games that I have seen, he's nowhere near it. [Edin] Dzeko has run him ragged."

During the game, Mills declared: "Dzeko versus Tomori is so one-sided. Tomori must be twice as quick. But every time in both games so far when Dzeko gets the ball, he just drops his shoulder and sits Tomori down and just waltzes past him."

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Have your say! Does Fiyako Tomori deserve to be in the next England squad? Let us know in the comments section.

Fikayo Tomori's AC Milan were dumped out the Champions League by rivals Inter (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)

Although many would agree with Mills' frank assessment, ex- Manchester United and Bayern Munich midfielder Owen Hargeaves argued that Tomori was much improved compared to his first-leg woes. The 25-year-old only has three England caps to his name, with Southgate often opting for a number other centre-backs - all of whom play in the Premier League - for his Three Lions squad.

After being mauled by Dzeko and co last Wednesday, former AC Milan defender Jaap Stam maintained that Tomori deserves more caps, telling Full Circle from bet365 : "Milan has been doing well over the past few years and he's been a part of that as an individual.

Edin Dzeko tormented Fikayo Tomori in both legs of their Champions League semi-final (Chris Ricco - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

"That's what you've got to look at as a manager, Southgate has to look at form of the player – can he fit in and start – but in this game he had a hard game. That’s how it goes in football. He needs to address it and come out better in the second leg.

"I think he's a good player, he's got the attributes in his passing and his battling and his pace to do well for England. I rate the England national team higher than the Milan team that played yesterday, so I think he'll have better players around him for England, which makes it easier for him to perform."

Nathan Ridley