Jamie Redknapp Raves Over Leicester's Demarai Gray But Admits Consistency Has Been Problematic
Former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp has heaped praise on Leicester City youngster Demarai Gray, after Gareth Southgate opted to call up the 22-year-old to his England squad for the 1-0 victory over Switzerland.
With both Dele Alli and Raheem Sterling withdrawing with injuries, Southgate brought Gray up from England's Under-21 set-up to reinforce his squad for the friendly clash with Switzerland, although Gray did not feature during the match.
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Sky Sports pundit Redknapp spoke in an interview on England's official Twitter account ahead of the match and was asked for his thoughts on Gray.
Redknapp responded: “I find him a really interesting player because he’s got so much talent, so much speed. I’d hate to play against him but I just want him to do it more often.
"It wasn't always easy for him to make the starting eleven, but he's got so much talent and hopefully today he can come on."
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Gray has always been an exciting prospect since breaking through as a youngster at Birmingham City. He is well known for his pace and dribbling ability, but is yet to add a consistent clinical edge to his game.
Since joining Leicester in 2016, Gray has made 104 appearances for his club, but only has seven goals and 11 assists to his name. However, he was often forced to play backup to Riyad Mahrez, who has now left the club in favour of Manchester City.
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He has enjoyed a positive start to the new Premier League season and even managed to get on the score sheet against Southampton. He will be encouraged by the fact that Southgate has clearly been impressed by his performances this season and will be looking to profit from his improved role with his club this season.
