Gary Neville warns England not to ‘mistreat’ young talent after dismal draw with Slovenia

Gary Neville warned England manager Gareth Southgate against poor management of young talent in his England squad after the Three Lions worked towards a 0-0 draw against Slovenia in their final group match.

Speaking to ITV after the game, Neville said players like Kobbie MainooPhil Foden and Cole Palmer They are “enormous talents” and stressed that England “really can’t deal badly” with such players.

“We looked so basic in the first half. We didn’t get the result, but we got a glimpse of what we can be,” she said.

“These boys are there looking you in the face right now,” he added. “We need someone in there to make us play.”

“The fact we have Pickford, Stones Rice and Kane in our backbone, to have those young guys around is helpful.”

Neville stated that he is “right [Kobbie] Mainoo will start in the next game”, while Roy Keane also stood out in his assessment of the young English talent, stating that he thinks Cole Palmer “has that X factor”.

“Brilliant players affect the game. Every time he gets the ball, you think something is going to happen. He will think he should be in the starting eleven.”

Ange Postecoglou agreed, saying that “each of his incursions takes someone out of the game. His first thought is how can I eliminate someone from the opposition.”

“If a young player is coming in and breaking down the door, just let him through,” the Australian added. “They need to be thrown outside to play.”

Speaking after the game, England captain Harry Kane stated that qualifying for top of the group “was the aim before the tournament”.

“Leading the group and controlling our own destiny – that’s what we did. We played much better with the ball and with more energy than in the first two games, but we couldn’t find the final pass,” said Kane.

“We just lacked that last drop of quality in crossing or finishing. We created a few half chances and maybe we could have done better, but they defended well.”