England recall fully deserved for Lewis Dunk
Rejoice! For it does appear that Gareth Southgate has remembered that Lewis Dunk exists, calling the Brighton captain into the England squad for the first time in nearly five years.
Dunk has been in the international wilderness despite being one of the key players in the Albion’s rise from perennial Premier League relegation candidates to gatecrashers of the top six.
He has proven himself under three different Brighton managers, playing three different styles of football and three different formations.
No central defender in the country has demonstrated as much versatility as Lewis Dunk since his one-and-only England cap against the United States of America in November 2018.
Dunk was last called up when Theresa May was prime minister, heating your home did not require the GDP of a small country and Chris Hughton was at the helm of the Albion.
Brighton back then were set out to defend, defend, defend in a back four at a time when England had just reached the semi finals of the World Cup in Russia playing a three.
Whilst Dunk and Shane Duffy were excellent at their jobs, you could almost understand Southgate’s reasoning for not selecting the Albion skipper.
Southgate wanted players suited to his system and centre backs proven to be comfortable on the ball. Dunk was yet to prove he could fit either criteria.
The arrival of Graham Potter changed that. Suddenly, Brighton were playing out from the back and Dunk was the central player in a three man defence.
Dunk was proving those previous reservations Southgate may have had wrong. As time went by and Lewis Dunk thrived playing Potterball, the only real explanation for him being continually overlooked by England could be that he had accidentally ran over Southgate’s cat or something.
Even when Brighton broke into the top 10 of the Premier League last season with what was up until now the best campaign in the club’s history, Southgate refused to pick Dunk.
When Dunk turned 31 in November, it appeared as though his international chances were done. Southgate’s philosophy of trying to look to the future would not be served by selecting a defender in his 30s half-a-decade on from the last time he was called up by England.
If anyone from Brighton was going to make the Three Lions squad, it would be Levi Colwill. 19-years-old and that rarest of treasures, a left footed English centre back.
Colwill has the potential to play at the heart of the England defence for the next 15 years, all the way through to the 2038 World Cup (probably held on the moon given how loopy Gianni Infantino is).
It is testament to Dunk then that he has made his own case for selection so strong that Southgate cannot ignore it.
And Dunk should be buying Roberto De Zerbi a decent bottle of Italian red for the part the latest Brighton head coach he has worked under has played.
Since De Zerbi replaced Potter, Dunk’s statistics have gone through the roof. This is particularly true of his passing numbers.
Dunk’s 90.04 percent passing accuracy is ahead of Ben White, Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire. The only England centre back with better passing accuracy is John Stones on 93.32 percent.
No defender in the Premier League can touch Dunk for long passes, progressive passes or switching play. It may not be quite so obvious to the naked eye, but De Zerbi has elevated Dunk onto another level.
Any qualms Southgate may have had about Dunk fitting into a particular system have also been thrown out the window under De Zerbi.
Brighton have rotated their centre backs since the winter break due to a combination of injuries and rest. The one constant has been Dunk.
When Adam Webster is in the starting XI, Dunk starts as the left sided central defender. When Colwill plays, Dunk switches to the right.
At times, this change has been happening on a weekly basis. On a Saturday, Dunk will often be right alongside Colwill. In midweek, left alongside Webster. On Saturday, back to the right alongside Colwill before finishing the game with Jan Paul van Hecke on the pitch.
This ability to seamlessly switch roles and partners is a seriously underrated aspect of Dunk’s game. And it is why Southgate should have the confidence that no matter what system he plays or position he needs Dunk to fulfil, the Brighton captain will do it and do it well.
A cynic might say that Dunk is only involved for these upcoming internationals against Malta and North Macedonia because of where they fall in the calendar.
Southgate has granted all his Manchester United and Manchester City players an extra week off due to their involvement in the FA Cup final on June 3rd.
The likes of Stones, Maguire, Walker and Luke Shaw do not therefore have to report until after June 10th. City’s players may yet receive an additional break as they are in Champions League final action against Inter Milan as week after the FA Cup.
What Dunk has to do now is impress to the point that Southgate can no longer ignore him for future squads when defensive options are not so stretched because it is the end of the season.
He is a miles better player and leader than he was last time Southgate saw him in close quarters, the benefits of working with Potter and then De Zerbi evident.
Nobody can deny that Dunk deserves this England recall. Brighton fans would argue that after Stones, he has been the best homegrown centre back in the Premier League this season.
Time for him to prove it. Good luck, Lewis. Go make the Albion proud.
