Southgate likes him - Greening tips West Brom star to earn England call-up in 2021

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30 Mar 2020, 8:05 am

Jonathan Greening has tipped Jake Livermore to earn a call-up for the England squad if West Brom are promoted to the Premier League.

After football was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, UEFA took the decision to postpone the European Championships until next summer.

Livermore, 30, has been excellent for the Baggies this season but no one would have said he had a chance of getting into Gareth Southgate's squad for Euro 2020.

But now that it's Euro 2021 and Livermore could have played a full Premier League season before Southgate's squad announcement, Greening has claimed the West Brom midfielder's chances have been boosted.

“I’ve watched Jake a lot this year and he has been very, very good and very consistent,” Greening said, as quoted by the Express & Star. “If Albion go up and he can replicate those performances in the Premier League – 100 per cent he will be in with a chance of being in that squad.

“The tournament being put back a year has given him a much better chance because it would have been hard to call him up while he was playing in the Championship.

“But Southgate has called him up to squads before and likes him.

“If you asked any West Brom fan they’ll tell you he was in the reckoning for Player of the Year for his performances. He’s been fantastic. He just has to keep it up.”

Livermore has regularly earned praise for his performances for West Brom this season, especially in the weeks leading up to the EFL's suspension due to the coronavirus.

The former Tottenham midfielder endured rather mediocre seasons in a West Brom shirt before Slaven Bilic completely transformed him from a Tony Pulis-esque holding midfielder into a more slim, athletic box-to-box player.

Since Bilic came in, Livermore has absolutely bossed the midfield in most of his appearances and if he can replicate that form in the Premier League then there's definitely a chance of him playing for England.

Let's face it. It's not as though Southgate has a plethora of talented defensive midfielders to pick from.

In other West Brom news, this Albion player could have played his final game for the club if the season doesn't reconvene.

West Bromwich Albion

Jonathan Greening