The competition between Scotland and England for Tino Livramento’s international allegiance is intensifying. Gareth Southgate specifically mentioned the right-back in a press conference while discussing England’s full-back options. Although Livramento hasn’t been named in the upcoming England squad, Southgate is closely monitoring his progress.
Southgate said: “There is [depth], I was hoping to call up Reece James but he doesn’t feel he’s quite ready. I understand that, he’s had a long path back from a number of injuries. He’s probably a bit cautious in that respect, but I can understand why.” [Beanyman Sport]
He added: “We have got options, but there aren’t perhaps the experienced options we might have in other areas of the pitch.
“Some of the younger full-backs are doing well – Tino Livramento has done well in his games for Newcastle, but being with the U21s is the right thing for him at the moment as well.”
Despite having played for England’s youth teams, Livramento remains eligible to play for Scotland until he appears in a competitive game for England. This situation mirrors similar cases with Elliot Anderson and Harvey Barnes. Southgate is under significant pressure to lead England to success in the upcoming major tournament in Germany, following their defeat on penalties to Italy in the final of the last Euros at Wembley.