Kieran Trippier believes the likes of Callum Wilson had a ‘massive impact’ in England’s 6-2 win over Iran on Monday.
The Three Lions kicked off their World Cup campaign in impressive fashion, easing past Iran and putting on a show for the fans who travelled to Qatar.
It was Gareth Southgate’s young players who stole the show, with Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka massively impressing.
There was also goals from off the bench, with Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish finding the net. And there was an appearance from Newcastle’s number nine.
England showcased their squad depth with a raft of substitutes in the second half, and it failed to hinder Southgate’s side.
Trippier on Wilson cameo
After the final whistle, Trippier spoke to England’s official website. And he praised the impact the substitutes who came on, such as Wilson, had on the game.
“We wanted to be on the front foot, which we were, and most importantly we were clinical in the right moments,” he said.
“You can see the attacking players we’ve got, the players that came off the bench made a massive impact. We’ve got such quality in our team, it’s just about expressing ourselves.”
Exciting to see Wilson feature so early
While there was real excitement when Wilson was called up to England’s World Cup squad, I don’t think many Toon fans expected to see much of the 30-year-old.
He has been brought in to play second fiddle to captain Harry Kane, who is a key player for Southgate. But the England manager changed his strikers in the second half against Iran, with Wilson playing around 25 minutes for his country.
The Newcastle forward only had one sight of goal, and he completely ignored it. A perfectly timed run was picked out by Bellingham, allowing Wilson to race through on goal. He had the chance to score at a World Cup.
But he didn’t take it.
Instead, Wilson pulled it back to his teammate, allowing Grealish to score England’s sixth. It was selfless from Wilson, who has been praised for what he did.
And he is one of multiple substitutes to impress off the bench, as Trippier says. It was a great start for Wilson, and hopefully it means we continue to see more of him as the tournament goes on.