‘I’m amazed’: Dean Smith shocked by situation with Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa
Dean Smith says he is “amazed” Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has not yet been selected for England.
The Holte End hero believes Ezri Konsa, who he worked with at Brentford before moving to Aston Villa, thinks the ice-cold centre-back will be a “big player” for Unai Emery’s side this season .
Dean Smith has labeled Ezri Konsa a “Rolls-Royce” as he doesn’t fully understand why Gareth Southgate isn’t picking him for England, as he said BBC Radio 5 live sport.
Since joining Villa in 2019, Konsa has seen Tyrone Mings receive call-up after call-up, and rightly so.
But somehow Southgate turned a blind eye to the man next to him, even though he was probably the most consistent of the two.
There’s no doubt that Mings is the behind-the-scenes leader, vocal figure and huge presence, but he didn’t do it all alone, and Smith shares his thoughts on Konsa.
Konsa for England?
“A big player for them this season I think will be Ezri Konsa,” Smith said. “I’m amazed he’s not playing for England yet.
“He’s a Rolls-Royce of a player. Against Newcastle he made a big mistake on the second goal but boy did he recover from it. He is a top player.
Why Konsa won’t be selected for England: “To be honest, I don’t know. For me he is one of the standouts.
“The fact that Steven Gerrard came after me and kept playing him. Since then they have also used centre-backs and now Unai continues to play against him. That’s a sign that he’s rated for me.”
Konsa is underestimated
The 25-year-old is an underrated figure for both Villa and the Premier League and his achievements deserve more recognition.
One of the main reasons Villa are back in Europe is players like Konsa.
And as Dean Smith mentioned, even with new players, it is still the Englishman who is regularly in the starting XI.
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