BEN CHILWELL did not make Gareth Southgate’s 33-man provisional squad for Euro 2024 this summer, let alone the final 26.
But there is still a much-beloved figure within the England camp in Germany getting called “Chilly”.
Brendan Modini is the FA’s video producer, putting in plenty of work behind the scenes.
He can often be seen with a video camera on the training ground, working hard to deliver access to fans with his content.
According to the Telegraph, Modini’s likeness to Chilwell has not gone unnoticed in the camp.
They claim that even England’s players are calling him “Chilly” behind the scenes.
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Chilwell, 27, has earned 21 international caps but a late season knee issue prevented him from impressing Southgate sufficiently to earn a place in the Euros squad.
The left-back made just nine Premier League starts during the 2023-24 campaign.
And he was limited to just 10 minutes of action across the Blues’ last 12 Prem games.
Chilwell started both of England’s Wembley friendlies in March, against Brazil and Belgium.
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Former Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino was unhappy with the situation, revealing that Chilwell had picked up his knee issue on international duty.
The Argentine said at the time: “We still need to assess a few players like Chilwell after playing two games. I think he got a knock in his knee.
“Today, he wasn’t ready to train. We will see what will happen tomorrow if he can be in the squad.”
When asked if it was a surprise that Chilwell played in both friendlies, Pochettino, 52, said: “Surprised, not surprised, I don’t know.
“If he cannot play for us or be available, and because he didn’t play after Brentford with us, he only played a few minutes against Leicester in the FA Cup.
“Yes, it was a situation that he started two games, maybe it’s a surprise for us.
“But it’s bad luck because he got a dead leg in the last moment in the game against Belgium. That’s another bit of bad luck we have because we need to assess whether he can be available.”
Following his disappointing end to the season, Chilwell was surprisingly linked with Manchester United.
Should he make the shock switch, the former Leicester star would be in direct competition with England colleague Luke Shaw.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk