Newcastle United transfer target Marc Guehi was in action for England during their 3-1 win over Finland in the Nations League.
Newcastle United pushed hard to try and sign Marc Guehi over the summer after identifying the Crystal Palace centre-back as a top target.
However, Newcastle failed to sign Guehi after his price tag rose above £70m late into the summer transfer window.
The 24-year-old had just come from a hugely successful Euro 2024 campaign with England where he was a surprise package in Gareth Southgate’s team on the route to the final.
Newcastle could return for Guehi in January with a centre-back still on the club’s shopping list, but the priority is to sign a new right-sided winger.
Marc Guehi starts for England vs Finland
After his superb breakthrough on the international stage over the summer, Guehi was called up to the Three Lions squad by interim boss Lee Carsley.
He joined up with Newcastle duo Nick Pope and Anthony Gordon in the England camp – they are two of the 12 Newcastle players on international duty this week.
Guehi remained on the bench for England’s 2-1 defeat to Greece on Thursday but was handed a start against Finland.
He played the full 90 minutes and put on a superb display, ending the clash with 117 touches, a 94 percent passing accuracy and four successful ground duels – all without being dribbled past once.
It was a standout display from the young defender, and a performance that inevitably caught the eye of Newcastle supporters.
National media reacts to Marc Guehi display vs Finland
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jack Grealish have hogged the headlines after their well-taken goals against Finland, but Guehi was certainly one of England’s best performers on the night.
The national media have been quick to praise the Newcastle target after Sunday’s win.
The Telegraph gave Guehi a 7/10 rating and wrote: Never out of position and made important blocks, tackles and interceptions when Finland tried to slide their forwards in down the side between him and Alexander-Arnold.
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The praise continued from Goal, who gave Guehi an 8/10 rating – the joint-highest in the team.
They added: “Exceptional in the first half as he made a number of key interventions both in the air and on the ground. Continues to look at home at this level.”
The Express were quick to point out Guehi’s passing stats after giving him a 6/10 rating: “Appears to be the first-choice partner for John Stones in Harry Maguire’s absence. Finished the match with an impressive 94 per cent accuracy from 104 attempted passes.”
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