Roberto De Zerbi names Brighton player he wants to see picked for England next season
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Dunk was picked by Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions’ next two Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta (June 16) and North Macedonia (June 19). It is the first time the Albion skipper has received the call-up since winning his one and only cap in 2018, in a 3-0 friendly win over USA.
De Zerbi said he was as proud of Dunk’s call-up as he was qualifying for the Europa League with Brighton, saying: “It’s great news. I think it is maybe the same big news as Europa League, because to help one of our big players to achieve one target so important and prestigious is a proud moment for us.
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Hide Ad"We have to be proud of not only the coaches, but also the players.”
The Seagulls boss believes Jason Steele also deserves to play alongside Dunk in the England team, claiming the goalkeeper has the quality to play in the national team.
De Zerbi said: “We will work with Jason Steele to achieve the same target of Lewis Dunk, because he has the quality to achieve a target so important.
“I don’t want to speak about other goalkeepers in the other teams. In my vision and my idea, Jason Steele is a top keeper. It’s difficult to find another keeper of this level. I studied football 24 hours per day and It’s very hard to find another keeper of this quality of this level to play.”
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Hide AdSteele was made De Zerbi’s first choice goalkeeper in March this year, having spent the majority of his four-and-a-half years at the club sitting on the bench behind Matt Ryan and Robert Sanchez.
Since making his Premier League debut for the club in a 4-0 win against West Ham, the County Durham man has fitted effortlessly into De Zerbi’s style-of-play, fulfilling the role of a goalkeeper who is as comfortable with the ball at his feet as is he with it in his hands.
This season, Steele has kept six clean sheets and also grabbed an assist in a 3-3 draw with Brentford on April 1.
The 32-year-old’s rise to Premier League number one is a journey not many predicted. Having been relegated with Blackburn to League One in 2017, Steele joined Championship side Sunderland in the summer and quickly lost his spot in the first team due to a number of poor performances.
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Hide AdBy the end of that campaign, the Black Cats found themselves in the third tier of English football, meaning both the club and Steele had faced two consecutive relegations.
De Zerbi said that Steele must forget about his past in order to become a better player and eventually receive an international call-up.
The Albion boss said: “Football is nice because the past is not important. I have to analysis the present, sometimes their is potential in the future but the past is not important. For me, for sure. You can change your life in one day. If you believe in yourself and believe in work, you can believe everything.
“I told him the same. Jason you have to think you can change. You haven’t spent your life in the Premier League, but I give you the possibility to change your life and career. You have to believe in yourself. Because, I help you and you help me. And you help the team.”