Gareth Southgate has warned his England players that “is no magic wand” after their defeat to France, claiming that the 3-2 reverse in Saint-Denis offered a reminder of “where we are as a country”.
Southgate’s side were competitive but conclusively second-best at the Stade de France, with Ousmane Dembélé scoring the decisive goal for the hosts 12 minutes from time, but a creditable draw looked well within England’s grasp at one point.
France defender Raphael Varane was controversially dismissed at the start of the second half after bringing Dele Alli down in the area and, when Harry Kane converted the resulting penalty to level the score, England looked primed to end a testing evening with a positive result.
Which clubs are in the race for Kylian Mbappé?
10 show all Which clubs are in the race for Kylian Mbappé?
1/10 Which clubs are in the race for Kylian Mbappé? Here, we identify the clubs that are leading the race for the youngster’s signature. AFP/Getty Images
2/10 Real Madrid Real Madrid are thought to be leading the race for Mbappé’s signature, with the teenager confirming their interest immediately after France’s 3-2 friendly win over England. “Real Madrid?” Mbappe said after the game in Paris, “They have been trying to recruit me since I was 14.” The European champions certainly have the financial firepower to sign the player, although with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Isco and Marco Asensio currently in their squad, it’s hard to see where they will fit him in. Chances of signing: 8/10 Getty Images
3/10 Barcelona Barcelona were known to have expressed an interest in the player last season, with Pierre Mbappé acknowledging that Barcelona were a “possible destination” for the player. However, it now appears the Spanish giants have cooled their interest. Last month, Spanish news outlet Don Balon reported that club had held initial transfer talks with the teenager but were put off when Monaco demanded in excess of £100m. 5/10 Getty Images
4/10 Juventus The Italian champions are not averse to splashing the cash – having spent €90 million on Gonzalo Higuaín last summer – with club sources telling the Italian paper that Mbappe’s asking price is “exorbitant, but not impossible to pay.” However it is thought that the Italian club are prioritising other signings – including Mbappe’s Monaco teammate Thomas Lemar. 6/10 Getty Images
5/10 Arsenal Eyebrows were raised when it was first reported in the French media that Arsenal had made an expletory £100m offer for the teenager, with the bid comprising of a series of instalments. Arsenal’s ambition should be lauded, and Arsene Wenger has an excellent track record of developing young French players. But the club lack the financial firepower to truly compete. And then there’s the lack of Champions League football. Mbappe recently commented: “[The Champions League] is a dream, a competition that everyone wants to win and that only a minority can win - the most important are the titles.” It could prove to be a deal breaker. 5/10 Getty Images
6/10 Liverpool Liverpool have been linked with the young French forward but will surely struggle to match the £100m offers currently being made by some of Europe’s most powerful clubs. And how would they accommodate him? Mbappé would improve any team, but Liverpool currently have no fewer than six first-team forwards in their squad. Not only can Liverpool not afford him, but they don’t have space for him, either. 2/10 Getty Images
7/10 Manchester City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak is determined to back Pep Guardiola in the transfer market after an incredibly underwhelming 2017/18 campaign, and the club have already spent big on Bernardo Silva and Ederson, who have arrived for £43m and £35m respectively. Guardiola first expressed an interest in the player last summer and L’Equipe recently reported that he is “absolutely convinced” by the teenager’s qualities. Of all the English clubs interested in the player, City would appear his most likely destination. 6/10 Getty Images
8/10 Manchester United United have been urged to sign the striker by a number of personalities connected to the club, including former assistant manager Rene Meulensteen. “If they were to get him they’d have pace and goal-scoring opportunities,” he said after the England friendly. “He would shake up United’s front-line. He has unbelievable potential in my opinion.” But the Independent understands that the club are likely to focus on other targets instead. A deal for Internazionale’s Ivan Perisic is imminent while United are also in talks with Real Madrid for Álvaro Morata. 4/10 Getty Images
9/10 PSG PSG owner Nasser El-Khelaifi is determined to make a marquee signing this summer, especially after the Parisians crashed out of the Champions League in such humiliating fashion to Barcelona. L'Équipe have reported that PSG's new sporting director, Antero Henrique, has already made contact with Monaco. The benefits for PSG are obvious: not only do they bolster their frontline but they also directly weaken a rival. Mbappé was born in the Parisian suburb of Bondy and could be tempted into a return home. 7/10 AFP/Getty Images
10/10 Monaco Could Mbappe decide to stay at Monaco? In May, he had the following to say on his future: “I will make a choice based on my sporting career, and my career is first and foremost, and I am at an age where I need to play, and that will be paramount. “I'm not 35 or 36, an age where I have to manage [my body], I still have everything to learn, this year was discovery, and now comes the most important step: Confirmation. And I will be the sole decision-maker, and I will not go anywhere I don't want to go.” Wise words, but should Monaco receive multiple offers exceeding £100m, he may not have too much of a say in the matter. 7.5/10 Getty Images
Instead, they continued to struggle with the athleticism and pace of their depleted opponents. Kylian Mbappé and Dembélé were particularly troublesome and a English defence run ragged eventually succumbed to the latter’s accomplished 78th-minute finish.
When it was noted that this failure to capitalise on an opponent’s weakness invoked a sense of déjà vu, Southgate suggested that his players have more to learn before they can dominate meetings with international football's best.
“It's a big challenge then, isn't it? I played the last time we won here 20 years ago [a 1-0 win during the 1997 Tournoi de France], and actually we got battered for a lot of that game and scored a goal on the counter,” he said. “That's the reality of where we are as a country in terms of our teams.
“We've got some young players coming through that have really good potential and can be exciting, but there is not shortcut to that. There is no magic wand to that.
He added: “We're recognising where we're short, we're recognising where we can exploit teams, we've had some joy doing that, but our game without the ball has got to improve.”
The defeat means Southgate has failed to win any of his three friendlies against nations in the top 10 of Fifa’s World Rankings, in games organised with the intention of discovering, in his the manager's words, “where we are against the very best”.
A 2-2 draw with Spain at Wembley in November, in which his side squandered a 2-0 lead in the final minutes, was followed by March’s 1-0 defeat in Germany.
All in all, as his ‘honeymoon period’ in the job comes to an end, Southgate has won just three of his eight games in charge. He is not concerned though, and pointed not only to the quality of England’s opponents but also the progress he feels has been made within the squad.
“If we'd lost to three lesser teams, or to two lesser teams, that would be a big difference, but I know we are improving as a group.
“We know the players are receptive to what they're taking on board and I know that's not going to happen in the space of two or three months, so I've got to keep that at the forefront of my mind.
“I want the players to feel disappointed tonight because they have to recognise moments when you do have the opportunity to get a really good result,” he added. “The way we were causing France problems with the ball, and the fact that they’re down to 10 at 2-2, that's when you've got to ruthless.”