Cheeky tweets from Eastleigh, provocative interventions from the Home Secretary, endless questions about Kieran Tierney, who might not even play against England on Friday; no angle of inane attack it seems discomfits Tyrone Mings.
Mings also had to deal with questions about the impending return of Harry Maguire. It might be, given the steely rigour he brought to bear against Croatia, that Maguire, whom Mings greatly admires and wishes back quickly, gets more time to recover than any thought likely.
First to Eastleigh in the National League, for whom Mings appeared in a trial against the Falkland Islands a decade ago after being let go by Southampton. Despite the 6-0 scoreline, Mings did not make the cut. That did not stop them tweeting a picture of Mings in an Eastleigh shirt after the Croatia win, deriving what PR benefit they could.
“I saw they posted a picture. Bit cheeky of them that. They turned me down. I was 18 and probably not developed enough at the time so going into their first team probably wouldn’t have suited me.”
Turning failure to impress a tier five club into an England cap in a major tournament is some kind of alchemy, preparing a player for just about any eventuality, like Priti Patel, for example, dispensing wisdom on England’s footballers taking the knee.
Gesture politics, claimed the Home Secretary in giving her backing to fans to boo the players. Mings chested down her remarks and kicked them over the Wembley Arch without breaking sweat. “I don’t really have a direct message [for her]. She invited me onto a zoom call once where she seemed so interested and engrossed in players’ point of view on what more we could do to tackle these sorts of issues.
“The Home Secretary is one of many people who oppose us taking the knee. We have our own beliefs, and when you have strong beliefs there will be opposition to that. We have spoken about trying to educate or inform the minority who refuse to acknowledge why we take the knee.
“In Wembley there was a hugely positive reaction to us as well. I don’t think that should be overshadowed by the minority that refuse to accept the reasons or don’t agree.”
Mings accepted that preparing to face Scotland in a major championship with England was a surreal way to mark the 10th anniversary of his Eastleigh reverse. He also pointed out how well adjusted he is to this new reality:
“I was speaking to a friend last night saying it’s almost weird that it feels normal. I’ve been a professional footballer for a long time now. It’s been a great journey. I’m looking to make it an even better one.”
There were measured words, too, on Harry Kane, whose form has been criticised following the win over Croatia. “I can’t speak highly enough of him as a player and as a captain. So question marks around him are background noise.”
More from i on Euro 2020
- Eriksen collapse has thrown a spotlight on football’s relentless thirst for more
- ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’ showing he has perfect blend of silk and steel to be a star
- Where Schick’s strike against Scotland ranks among greatest Euros goals
- Daniel Storey’s guide to all 24 teams – from hot favourites to no hopers
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/35nIuOv
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