It’s no surprise that Roy Hodgson will continue putting his faith in John Pantsil. His emergence as the first choice right back in a barnstorming first season made a few critics eat their words and the Ghana defender’s seemingly boundless charisma has turned him into something of a cult hero.
Stephen Kelly’s arrival from Birmingham might put a bit more pressure on Pantsil to perform – and, as Hodgson admits, right back isn’t a position where we are short of options.
John was excellent for us last season, and it’s his shirt to lose. But of all the places in the team where there is pressure for places, that’s probably one of the hot-spots.
Apart from John and Stephen, we’ve got Chris Baird and Freddie Stoor awaiting their chance, so it’s not a position we need to revisit for some time to come.
Let’s hope Pantsil can keep making those promising strides forward.
