Delph has gone from 9/1 to as short as 5/2 to be on the plane to Russia next summer.
Manchester City spent over £120 million on full backs this summer, the biggest fee being the £50m forked out on Monaco’s star left-back Benjamin Mendy. However, they will now be without the Frenchman until earliest next April, after he picked up a serious knee injury in the Citizen’s 5-0 mauling of Crystal Palace last week.
One player looking to profit from Mendy’s misfortune is Fabian Delph. The ex-Leeds and Aston Villa midfielder has found appearances hard to come during his time at Man City, primarily due to the amount of competition for places there is at the club, especially in midfield.
However, Pep Guardiola, renowned for reinventing players, has made Delph his latest project and he has so far impressed at left back. The fact that Guardiola likes his full backs to come inside and act as auxiliary midfielders suits Delph to a tee.
Gareth Southgate clearly rates the 27-year-old, naming him in the squad for upcoming final two World Cup qualifiers. Delph was available at 9/1 to make the squad for Russia before the weekend, but an astute performance in their 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening has caused him to be cut to as short as 5/2. He has accounted for 39% of bets on the England squad market since that match through Oddschecker.
Whether Southgate would deploy Delph at left back or central midfield is still unclear, but what is certain is that versatility is a highly valued quality when selecting a squad. If the player can keep his place throughout the season, for a team whom many think will be champions, the 9/2 still about him will be long gone come May.
Oddschecker spokesman, George Elek: 'Southgate alluded to the fact that Delph had recently been a key cog in Roy Hodgson's England team, and his recent forays at left-back for Manchester City will do his chances of making the plane next summer no harm. He is an injury doubt for the game against Slovenia on Thursday, but he will have plenty of time to convince the manager of his worth and the punters are happy to take their chances at 9/2'
