[Albion] Why is Dunk consistently overlooked by England?

[vagabond]

As a regular at the Amex I’m genuinely baffled how one of our best CBs in the past 10+ years and now a Premier League regular can be consistently overlooked.

Especially now with Potter playing 3 at the back, which is a system Southgate likes.

The way I see it, the reasons are either (and feel free to add alternatives):
A) Mings, Keane and co. Are legitimately far better
B) Southgate mistakenly doesn’t rate him
C) Southgate correctly doesn’t rate him
Or D) Lewis exhibited bad traits when he was previously called up to the squad.

Which is it?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Too old.

 

[Seasider78]

E) does not play for one of the top 6 or a club Southgate has been involved in

 

[Knocky's Nose]

Is it just because he's not quite good enough?

 

[Questions]

Is it just because he's not quite good enough?

No it really isn’t. See the Tomori thread.
If Dunk had joined Everton in the summer he would be in.

 

[jonny.rainbow]

F) Southgate has fallen asleep by the time our 30 second highlights are shown on MOTD, so he has no idea how well Dunk has played.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Is it just because he's not quite good enough?

He looked good enough in the friendly against the USA.
Even though he was cleared of both charges, I wonder if the court case in 2012 has hampered him. He never played in the U21s.

 

[AmexRuislip]

He hasn't got a flash name like Harry McGuire or John Stones

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Maybe Dan Ashworth should have a word..

 

[beorhthelm]

F) Southgate has fallen asleep by the time our 30 second highlights are shown on MOTD, so he has no idea how well Dunk has played.

yeah, this happens.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

Amazed that Bournemouths 5th choice Centre back and Tomori - who'd have been farmed out on loan to the Championship if Chelsea didnt have a transfer ban - are now considered good enough for England.

The likes of Dunk and Coady must be extremely annoyed especially after the Kosovo defensive display. For whatever reason, he does not fancy them.

 

[Stat Brother]

Singleheadedly moving us down this league table wouldn't hurt:-




Gotta make you question your cheers if we get one on Saturday.

 

[maffew]

Can he play left back?

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Following Keane's dodgy performance against Kosovo , one would have thought that Dunk was worth another cap . Our defence record is pretty good, the stats show that .
At 27 he is at the right age. It is good to have youth but you also need experience

 

[Weststander]

Is it just because he's not quite good enough?

Yes.

But Micheal Keane is loved for some reason, despite clear inadequacies revealed in mistakes for England and Everton. Such an average player, no way an international CB.

Looking back to contrast, Terry, Campbell and Ferdinand were streets ahead of the England current CB’s. As were Adams and most obviously Butcher.

 

[Hugo Rune]

E) does not play for one of the top 6 or a club Southgate has been involved in

Indeed.

Dunk is better than Mings & Keane without doubt. Although Tomori has potential, he has a fair few mistakes in the locker and does not have the experience to play for England.

I’d have White ahead of Tomori and Burn ahead of Keane for that matter too.

 

[Icy Gull]

When was his last really good performance? One pass against Watford doesn’t count

Even as a Brighton fan I don’t see him as England class on his end of season form last season or this season so far

 

[BensGrandad]

Simple answer is that there are about 6 or 7 English CBs who are better than him.

 

[oldboyroy]

Simply not good enough although didn't do anything wrong on his debut

 

[Stato]

The odds are stacked against Lewis in a number of different ways:

1) Southgate assumes that, if fit, his three centre halves will be Maguire, Stones and one other. Despite the fact that Stones is a very good footballer, but a fairly poor defender. Joe Gomez will usually take one of the other spaces because he gives another option at full back. This means that there are a limited number of chances for others;
2) Southgate favours players who came through the England set up at youth levels. This is to the advantage of Keane, Gomez, Tomori, Stones, Walker, but to the disadvantage of Dunk and Tarkowski who have had better stats than most of the others over the last couple of seasons;
3) He plays for an unfashionable club. Playing for the top six is still an advantage. How did Smalling and Cayhill play all those games?
4) He doesn't have the promise of youth enjoyed by Tomori and Gomez;
5) He isn't being talked up in the press like Mings and Tomori have been recently;
6) He has a reputation of being a stopper and nothing else. Listen to the way pundits talk about Brighton and all you ever heard was Duffy and Dunk, two big blokes, blood and thunder, old fashioned defenders. His more creative qualities are overlooked by those who don't watch him every week;
7) He doesn't need to be picked to stop him choosing to play for another country: See Tomori and Mings;
8) A big club hasn't decided to shell out a large transfer fee for him, something that is seen by many in the game as being tested at a higher level. Keane went to Everton and got picked whilst his former partner Tarkowski got overlooked, despite his form being much better than Keane's;
9) He has had a chance and Southgate wants to look at those who haven't yet: and
10) Southgate, as Plooks so perceptively pointed out, is Palace.