Levi Colwill's Return: A Cautious Optimism for England's World Cup Squad

Calum McFarlane believes English football has a jewel back on the pitch – but he is in no mood to rush Levi Colwill’s renaissance.

The Chelsea centre-back has barely had a season. An anterior cruciate ligament injury in the club’s very first pre-season training session wiped out months of his campaign before it had even started, leaving one of the country’s most gifted young defenders watching from the sidelines while everyone else played on.

That wait finally ended this month. Colwill returned as a half-time substitute in the 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest, a low-key reintroduction on a grim afternoon for Chelsea. The performance, though, was anything but tentative. Composed on the ball, aggressive in the duels, he looked like a player who had never been away.

The real test followed. Colwill was thrown straight into the starting XI at Anfield against Liverpool and then trusted again in the FA Cup final against Manchester City. Two of the most demanding stages in the game, two high-pressure occasions, one 23-year-old coming off a major knee injury.

He did not shrink.

Those assured displays have sparked a debate that would have sounded fanciful a month ago: should Thomas Tuchel find room for Colwill in England’s 26-man World Cup squad, which will be announced on Friday? On form and profile, the argument is loud. Left-footed, calm under pressure, brave enough to play through the lines – he ticks a lot of modern international boxes.

McFarlane, though, is trying to keep the noise at arm’s length.

“We need to be careful with Levi. He's obviously had a very serious injury,” he said on Monday, striking a more cautious tone amid the growing clamour. “He's performed well in those two games. We'll see how he looks today, we'll see how he reports and we'll make a decision on that one.”

That decision concerns Chelsea’s next step, starting with whether Colwill is risked from the outset against Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. The implication was clear: three intense games in quick succession, so soon after an ACL lay-off, might be a step too far.

If there is restraint in McFarlane’s planning, there is no hiding his admiration.

“It's been great to have Levi back, great for English football as well. You've got a really talented, really high potential player here,” he said, underlining just how highly the club rate their academy product.

Colwill’s response to the past year has impressed as much as his passing range. “Injuries are a part of it and he's shown really good mental strength and character to come through that and perform away at Anfield and in the FA Cup final as well,” McFarlane added.

The message from inside Chelsea is that his influence stretches beyond the white lines. “I'm really, really excited about him and he's done a lot for the team, not just on the pitch but off the pitch as well. It's been a brilliant two games for him and hopefully he can finish the season strong.”

Whether Tuchel shares that excitement enough to take Colwill to the World Cup will be known soon enough. For now, Chelsea have their defender back, English football has one of its most promising centre-backs on the rise again, and the only real question is how quickly they dare let him fly.