Derek Ray

He missed it by a couple of days.

And he's very good friends with Mert Kömür, who's another young player who's come through the ranks at Augsburg, going the Augsburger Weg, as they say, the Augsburg way along the Augsburg path.

And he's in good hands now with Manuel Baum as coach.

And what I like about Banks is he has a maturity for a player as young as he is.

He's got the physical presence, but he's also got calmness on the ball.

He can make those line-breaking passes.

And I think the upside is really high for him.

And I know a lot of American fans have been watching him with interest, thinking, hmm, you know.

Would you take a chance on a young player like this when it comes to a big tournament?

Would it be too much of a risk?

But if you have a squad, and I don't know what the final number is going to be for the World Cup, but let's say FIFA decide it's something ridiculous like 28, which is too big, as I think most of us would say, but it could be that.

Do you say, this is a player who we want to give experience to in a tournament like this,

I can't think of too many really bad games he's had, and I think there's a consistency of performance there that's very rare for a young defender.

The fact that Augsburg are giving him the chance every week, the fact that he is delivering every week, I think Banks is somebody who is really going to hit the big time one of these days.

Stockdown, because while I'm a great admirer, of course, of Alphonso Davies, since he's come back, he hasn't quite got into a rhythm.

He's had some problems.

Now, one of the problems he had wasn't really his fault, was being asked to play right back in that game against Augsburg when they lost.

And that's not easy for a left-footed player, not really a right back, but that was a situation that was required on that particular day.

But

I would put it this way.