Michael Gray would pick Nico O’Reilly at left-back for England now, and he thinks the Manchester City player could own the role for the next decade.
Gray called O’Reilly an incredible talent and said the 21-year-old has done enough this season to stand above every other option he has seen in that position. “He would be my choice now, 100%,” Gray said, adding that O’Reilly has become “Mr. Reliable” at left-back or wherever Pep Guardiola asks him to play.
The former Sunderland defender, who won three senior England caps in 1999, pointed to O’Reilly’s rapid rise as the reason the conversation has shifted. He made his competitive debut for City in August 2024 and has since passed 50 appearances this season, including a memorable brace in the 2026 Carabao Cup final as City won a major honour. Gray said the midfielder-turned-defender has thrived in Guardiola’s system, which gives him licence to roam, and that the big European nights have already shown what he can do under pressure.
England’s left side has become one of the most competitive areas in Thomas Tuchel’s build-up to a World Cup-bound squad. Luke Shaw remains in the frame, but Gray said fitness concerns must be taken seriously after the Manchester United defender’s injury absences. He said Shaw’s experience and know-how still matter and that Tuchel can make use of that in major competitions, especially with players like Shaw who have already been there before.
But Gray drew a clear line between reliability and reputation. He said O’Reilly has never let anybody down in an England shirt and does not bring the same injury worry into a tournament that Shaw does. He also noted the challenge from Lewis Hall, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento and Djed Spence, but said that, even if everyone were fit, O’Reilly would still be his first choice at left-back.
That judgment reflects how quickly the City academy graduate has moved from prospect to problem-solver. O’Reilly is still only 21, yet Gray believes the chance is now there for him to make the position his own for a 10-year period. With England looking for stability on the left and Tuchel weighing form against experience, Gray’s view is simple: O’Reilly has done enough to be the answer, not the backup.
