Ashley Cole has expressed his sympathy for Gareth Southgate with the England coach facing team selection dilemma.
England guaranteed top spot in Group D following another professional victory over Czech Republic at Wembley last night, where Raheem Sterling’s solitary goal was enough to secure another three points.
Mason Mount, however, will be eligible to feature given he will have completed a mandatory five-day period of self-isolation after he came into contact with Billy Gilmour following last Friday’s 0-0 draw against Scotland.
England having assured of their place in the knockout stages. Cole maintains Mount must play, particularly if Germany are the opponents.
He told ITV Sport: ‘It’s a difficult one, I think Gareth mentioned before the game will Mason be ready after not training for five days.
‘I would still play him. I still think he has an impact, he presses, he’s aggressive, he wins you the ball back. It’s difficult to drop top players. I think at the moment he’s proved for Chelsea he’s been very influential and important for this England team in terms of winning the ball back.
‘He gives a license to Calvin Phillips to back him up and get on it. He’s proven his worth. We’re going to play Germany, they’re going to have ball possession, you’ve got to press and try and win the ball back.
‘It’s going to be tough but I’d still go with the players I trust. He’s still going to top up his fitness with runs – within that five days how much actual training are they going to do?
‘Do they need that fitness, they’ve just had a very, very difficult season. We’ll see, I’d still play him.’
