Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart thought Conor Gallagher was “exceptional” for England against Serbia on Sunday night.
Gallagher replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold in the second half as England won 1-0 to get their Euro 2024 campaign off to a winning start.
The minutes against Serbia were Gallagher’s first for the Three Lions at a major tournament having not featured at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar despite being part of the squad.
Joe Hart praises Gallagher
England started the game really well and took the lead after 13 minutes thanks to Jude Bellingham’s header, but they suffered in the second half as Serbia made things difficult.
Southgate opted to start Alexander-Arnold alongside Declan Rice instead of Gallagher, but the 24-year-old got his chance from the bench with Southgate bringing him on in the 69th minute.
Gallagher impressed with his high energy and pressing as well as winning second balls and fouls, with former England international Hart describing his performance as “exceptional.”
“Conor Gallagher, I thought he was exceptional,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“He was everywhere, the energy he brought, the second balls and the fouls he won were so important in this victory.
“We just looked a little bit leggy and the distances between us and Serbia grew and we just lost control of the game.
“[Southgate] could have made the changes earlier, but when they came on they had a great impact.”
Gallagher will be hoping for another opportunity to impress when England take on Denmark on Thursday knowing victory will see them qualify for the knockout stages.
Gary Neville tipped Gallagher to play a key role for England before the tournament started, believing Southgate would really like what he offers as a player.
The midfielder’s Chelsea future is up in the air as he enters into the final year of his contract with the Blues seemingly wanting to sell him, although his future won’t be dealt with until after the Euros.
What has Joe Hart been smoking, lol?!
First off, Gallagher played all of 20 mins. Secondly, sure he ran around and did his usual harassing and occasional ball winning, but he did next to nothing to help England deal with Serbia’s suffocating pressure. His limitations technically were on full display yet again (as were Southgate’s failings to make in-game adjustments) as he did no better than TAA when he received the ball under pressure and consistently played backward or sideways. The game was crying out for a technician and creator like Palmer and Southgate was very, very lucky that his conservatism didn’t wind in a draw or a loss.
ชWhat a plonker you are