Rico Henry: Brentford's Buccaneering Left Back

Six months ago, you would've been forgiven for thinking that England needed to address their situation at left-back. Ben Chilwell was in the form of his life, playing in perfect harmony with his English counterpart Reece James at Chelsea.

Whilst Luke Shaw, despite a slight dip in form, was coming off the back of a superb European Championships that saw him so nearly become a national hero after his goal against Italy. But with Shaw having shown few signs of improvement and Chilwell injured, there is suddenly a void in England's backline that Brentford's Rico Henry is looking to fill. 

Before the turn of the year, Henry's manager Thomas Frank had suggested the 24-year-old, who has started 25 of Brentford's 30 Premier League games this season, should be on Gareth Southgate's radar.

This perhaps optimistic statement has now, though, become a distinct reality. Despite having not yet been called up to the senior side, Henry's consistency has made him hard to ignore ahead of the World Cup this year.