When Lee Carsley’s first England squad as interim manager was announced there were plenty of well known faces as expected. However Carsley made the decision to bring multiple players along with the squad who are yet to have a callup before.

One of those players stood out amongst the others and that man is Angel Gomes.

But why did Carsley choose Gomes? And what sort of impact could he have on this England squad for the upcoming games?

"I called him before I called my family." 😅

This is brilliant, @Morgangibbs27 and @agomes_47! pic.twitter.com/NtkMSjc2vW

— England (@England) September 4, 2024

Who Is Angel Gomes?

Many of you may remember Angel Gomes from his time at Manchester United where he was projected to be the next best talent.

Gomes joined United in 2006 at the age of 6 and developed in the youth team before being called up to the first team in 2017.

And with good reasons as well. For the Red Devils under 21s and under 18s squad Gomes made 53 appearances and scored 25 goals while also getting 14 assists. But it was his play on the ball that caught the eyes of many Man United fans with him tipped to be the next best midfield maestro at the club.

Gomes would earn his first first team appearance for the club in May 2017 at the age of 16 years 263 days old. This making him the youngest player to represent the club since Duncan Ferguson in 1963.

However, despite projections Gomes would go on to make just 10 appearances for the United first team and in 2020 despite rumours of ongoing contract negotiations Gomes was released by the club.

2008: Angel Gomes pictured with Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani. 😇

2017: Angel Gomes (16) to make his Man United debut vs Crystal Palace. 😳 pic.twitter.com/zVwWEPc7zx

— SPORF (@Sporf) May 20, 2017

Following his release Gomes would sign for Lille and was instantly sent on loan to Portuguese side Boavista. And on his debut for the club he made an instant impact getting a hat trick of assists against Nacional.

Making such a massive impact in Portugal meant that when he returned to Lille he was ready for his first appearances in France. Gomes became a regular starter in Ligue 1 and would have an incredible season in 2023/24.

Lille would finish 4th in the league with Gomes being a star man for the side. He registered 8 assists - the second most in the league last season. Not only that but he also created 15 chances - again the second most in the league last year.

This helped earn him a callup to the England squad.

Angel Gomes is fulfilled his gamble to leave #MUFC has brought him to England seniors. Last term he was among best for ball retention in Ligue 1.

Campaign of CL now with Lille, then out of contract next summer.

Graphic @ThomHarris_ ⬇️ (Ugarte also high)https://t.co/E3WV4mL6j0 pic.twitter.com/XxEHp4Wh2d

— Laurie Whitwell (@lauriewhitwell) September 5, 2024

Why Did Carsley Pick Gomes?

Gomes has shown his talent in France since leaving Manchester United and it is no surprise that Carsley has selected him in his squad.

Not only did he create the second most big chances and get the second most assists in Ligue 1 last season but Gomes ran the midfield for Lille. Appearing to be one of their better creative players.

He completed more opposition half passes than most of the players for Lille last year with 849 completed as well as also creating 40 chances from open play.

Carsley worked closely with Gomes in the England Under 21s set up where Gomes was a regular and we may expect to see that again in the senior team. At least for the time that Carsley is in charge.

When asked about his call up to the squad Carsley said:

“Angel’s different to what we’ve got in terms of a player who can play deeper but plays like a ten. He’s very skillful, the way he can receive balls, the way he can control games.”

The interim manager, full of praise for the midfield man.

Angel Gomes earns his first senior international call up for England

Here's his percentile radar from the last two seasons at Lille in Ligue 1, a period in which he's started 63/72 matches as a mainstay in their midfield pic.twitter.com/eairTXzH3M

— StatsBomb (@StatsBomb) August 29, 2024

Gomes has shown plenty of determination since not making it into the United squad and to get to this point where he has earned his first England callup clearly shows this.

But will he get any playing time during this international break? Only time will tell.