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The current England side have looked a different beast under the tutelage and leadership of manager Gareth Southgate. He has picked and created a roster rife with talent, experience, dynamism and the hunger to prove their mettle.
Since taking over in 2016, Southgate has handed deserved debuts to talents such as Phil Foden, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount. Following in their footsteps, other English players around the world, too, have seemingly upped their game in order to stake a claim for a place in the national side.
This has created many welcome selection headaches for the gaffer. However, neither will he nor the English fans complain about the talent in their ranks.
With the new football season slowly but surely picking up momentum, a lot of players have found their stride. There have been scintillating performances from established young players such as Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold. However, others who have recently been picked in the England squad are the ones making the headlines. Let's take a look at the top five most in-form English players across the globe in 2021.
#5 Jude Bellingham - Borussia Dortmund
17-year-old Jude Bellingham was sold by Birmingham City to Dortmund in 2020 for a record fee and many fans were left scratching their heads. The Blues decided to retire the teenager's jersey number too, a move that saw rival fans lay into the decision with jokes and memes. Fast forward 18 months and the youngster has established himself as a regular first-teamer for his club and for England as well.
As per Transfermarkt, the England youngster made 46 appearances for Dortmund last season, scoring four goals and setting up four others for his teammates. He amassed a whopping 2,821 minutes throughout the season, an achievement even more impressive when his tender age is taken into account.
Bellingham has already scored three goals and provided seven assists in 18 games in all competitions this season for the Black and Yellow. With his impressive height and dominant playing style, these statistics are merely qualifiers for the level of exceptional talent fans witness every time Jude steps onto the pitch. The boy from Birmingham has an exciting future ahead of him.
#4 Reece James - Chelsea FC
Reece James is another local boy-turned-national hero, achieving his status due to his stunning exploits for England and Chelsea. He is one of many Chelsea youngsters who have climbed up the ladder from their Cobham academy to the first team.
James has made a total of 96 appearances for Chelsea and is still just 21. What's even more exciting is that despite being deployed as a right-back or a right center-back throughout his young career, he has seven goals and 12 assists to his name.
Chelsea have struggled with injuries to their two main frontmen Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner this season and many doubted they would be able to plug the gap left by their two talismen in the goalscoring department.
Up stepped Reece James. The young England full-back has made 12 appearances across all competitions, adding four goals and four assists to aid Chelsea's hunt for more silverware this season. James was a crucial part of the West London side that won the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup in 2021. He was also part of the England squad that finished runners-up at Euro 2020.
Considering his roots, it is likely that Reece James will remain a one-club man throughout his career. If he does that and stays healthy and in the first team, this young player is destined for greatness.
#3 Aaron Ramsdale - Arsenal FC
Aaron Ramsdale was arguably the single most divisive signing of the summer transfer window prior to the 2021-22 Premier League season. The England custodian has some unsavory statistics to his name, having been relegated in consecutive seasons with AFC Bournemouth (2019-20) and Sheffield United (2020-21). However, his displays since joining Arsenal have turned many heads, and people are gravitating towards the enigmatic energy he possesses.
Ramsdale has led the impressive turn in form shown by Mikel Arteta and his youthful Arsenal side by being rock solid between the sticks. He has kept seven clean sheets in his first 11 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions this season, conceding just five goals.
Gooners around the world have taken a huge liking to their new number 1, who is not far from challenging England's No.1 goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Only time will tell what happens and until then "Rammers" will continue to mesmerize.
Take a look at his stats prior to Arsenal's game against Watford this past weekend.
#2 Phil Foden - Manchester City FC
His name and his talents have been spoken about so much in the past couple of years that one could easily mistake Phil Foden for a seasoned veteran. However, at just 21, the young Mancunian has the world at his feet, quite literally.
Foden is not a typical left-footed player, with some unique skills in his arsenal. His close control and agility in tight spaces in wide areas make him a nearly irreplaceable presence in attack once he gets going.
The England youngster has already made a scintillating 137 career appearances for City in all competitions, scoring 36 goals and dishing out 26 assists. So far this season, he has appeared in 13 games in all competitions and has a healthy return of five goals and four assists.
City manager Pep Guardiola clearly rates the youngster, as shown by the number of times Foden has been named a starter for the team. If he continues his current trajectory, it will not come as a surprise to most were he to land up in the discussion alongside Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard as England's greatest goalscoring midfielders of all time.
Watch Foden embrace his friend (and next-up player on this list) Emile Smith Rowe in a video shared by England Football's Twitter handle.
#1 Emile Smith Rowe - Arsenal FC
Emile Smith Rowe is arguably the most exciting player in an Arsenal side who are the youngest squad in the Premier League this season.
The England midfielder received his maiden call-up to the Three Lions earlier this week owing to an unfortunate injury suffered by fellow midfielder James Ward-Prowse. Like his performances for Arsenal this season, it remains to be seen if the Hale End graduate can live up to expectations for an England side spoilt for choice in midfield.
Smith Rowe has played nearly 1,000 minutes across 13 games for Arsenal in all competitions this season. He has shown early signs of developing into the goalscoring midfielder the Gunners have lacked in the past few seasons. He has scored five goals and set up a further two for his teammates, displaying his attacking prowess.
With Southgate and his England side struggling to pick from an already overloaded roster, it will be exciting to see how Emile Smith Rowe and other England youngsters develop over the next few years. Until then, let's be grateful to enjoy their displays as they come.
