Rhian Brewster missed out for the England under-21s through suspension last night and Arsenal striker, Folarin Balogun, seized his chance in the Sheffield United man’s absence.
Brewster was shown red during the the last international break. As a result, it meant missing out on the Young Lions’ clash with the Czech Republic last night. In his place, Arsenal youngster Folarin Balogun was given the nod.
Balogun, of course, is known to Sheffield United fans. He was a target for Chris Wilder, but has since penned fresh terms at The Emirates. Instead, as we all know, United paid out more than £20m to bring in Brewster from Liverpool. And despite scoring his first league goal at the weekend, there are still question marks over Brewster’s Blades future.
And with Balogun impressing last night for England, there could now be questions over whether Brewster gets back into the mix under Lee Carsley.
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Balogun or Brewster for England under-21s?
Brewster’s red-card against Andorra resulted in a miserable 3/10 rating for the United youngster. The rating was understandable, in fairness.
Last night, the same publication (The Evening Standard), was more forgiving in its assessment of Balogun.
“Took his goal well, showed an ability to press from the front but also missed a very good chance to add to his tally. A promising outing, but still a lot to learn,” they wrote.
The big question now for Brewster, is if he’ll get the chance in the next fixture against Georgia in three days’ time. Of course, off the back of his goal at Ewood Park, he’ll be hoping so.
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But Balogun is also highly-rated. And scoring last night for the Young Lions will do his chances under Lee Carsley now harm whatsoever.
Ultimately, it’s another hurdle for Rhian Brewster to try and get over. He is working hard at things. You can tell he wants to do well for United and England.
However, should Carsley stick with Balogun, it will be another kick in the teeth for young Rhian, just as he was getting moving at club level.
