England\u2019s reigning player of the year Tommy Freeman has revealed he sees his future at outside-centre and intends to continue his transformation into midfield in the coming season.<\/p>\n
A winger by trade, Freeman enjoyed a stunning 2024-25 campaign, racking up 23 tries for Northampton, England and the British & Irish Lions. Freeman scored a memorable hat-trick in the Champions Cup semi-final win over Leinster<\/a>, having become the first England men\u2019s player to score in every round of the Six Nations.<\/p>\n He went on to start all three Lions Tests in the series victory over Australia and finished his fine campaign with 34 appearances, exceeding the mandated game limit in the process. All but two of those came on the wing with Freeman given a taste of life in the No 13 jersey in Northampton\u2019s victory over Sale in October while, significantly, his last England appearance, in the thumping win over Wales in Cardiff<\/a>, came in midfield.<\/p>\n Indeed, despite Freeman\u2019s strike-rate from the wing, the England head coach, Steve Borthwick, has been plotting Freeman\u2019s transition to centre for some time. Borthwick has Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Tom Roebuck, Elliot Daly, Ollie Sleightholme, Cadan Murley, Will Muir and Henry Arundell as his wing options but is less well stocked at centre and after the summer series win in Argentina, extolled the virtues of versatility among his squad.<\/p>\n Freeman is among the 25 players on an enhanced England contract \u2013 which give Borthwick greater access to the core members of his squad \u2013 and the 24-year-old revealed Northampton, who boast Sleightholme, George Hendy and James Ramm among their wing options, are on board with his impending move.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a bit more of a focus on 13 [this season],\u201d said Freeman. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely an option, as it was last year, but the onus is on me to get some more training minutes in there. If I can do that and be trusted in the midfield then I\u2019ll go for it.<\/p>\n \u201cEngland and Saints are pretty aligned and they\u2019ll give each other lots of feedback. Saints have me signed as a wing and if they want me to play there then I\u2019ll play there \u2013 it\u2019s as simple as that. It\u2019s injury-dependent, too; last year, I think they probably would have liked to have had me in the middle a bit more but, because of injuries I was on the wing.<\/p>\n \u201cFor now, I\u2019m a wing and a 13 but then as we get on [I want to be a] 13 who can go on the wing. I think [I want to be a 13]. As you get a bit older and your legs get a bit slower so I\u2019ll probably have to come in one. Having different strings to your bow does help but I just want to be on the pitch, representing the country, as much as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n