Vieira strategy praised as England duo show true colours after Chelsea exit
England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley has praised the way Crystal Palace have allowed Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher plenty of game time this season to aid their development.
Guehi, 21, had been on the Chelsea books for a couple of seasons after coming up through the club’s youth ranks. But he failed to make a Premier League appearances and was seen just twice in the EFL Cup. He jumped to the attention of Palace bosses after a successful spell in the Championship with Swansea City.
And the Eagles paid the Blues a reported £18m this summer to take him to Selhurst Park. Gallagher, also 21, is still contracted to Chelsea but penned a season-long loan with Palace in July.
The duo have begun life well at Selhurst Park. Central defender Guehi has played every minute of the club’s seven Premier League games.
And Gallagher has started six, with two goals and three assists to his name already. The two have helped the south London outfit to 14th in the standings, with one win and four draws.
They are on international duty with the England Under-21 squad at present. And Carsley believes the way they are being treated at Palace augers well for their international prospects.
“It’s really important for their development that they are trusted to play in the first teams, that they are playing at such a high level and that they’re able to manage the emotion that comes with playing in the first team and the up and down with results and coping with that,” he told the South London Press (via football.london).
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“Those two are very level-headed players and watching their games at Palace, they’re obviously very important to Crystal Palace as well and we’re aware of that.”
‘Outstanding’ Guehi handed armband
Guehi has made a seamless transition to Premier League football. His transfer fee raised a few eyebrows in the summer but it seems money well spent.
He has impressed enough to be named England captain by Carsley. And the former Everton man revealed just why he was appointed skipper.
“In terms of getting around the players in training, that encouragement, he’s a different kind of captain. He’s not a ranter and a raver, he leads by example,” he added.
“We’re quite lucky within the squad that we’ve got three or four players that can do that, that are more than capable of leading. But Marc’s been an outstanding captain and a big part of what we’re doing here.”
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