England squad: Questions for Gareth Southgate before Thursday's squad announcement

When Gareth Southgate names his latest England squad on Thursday there will be the usual number of discussion points about his selections.

The Three Lions have a Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine in Poland (9 September) before taking on Scotland in a friendly (12 September) to mark the 150th anniversary of that fixture.

There are just four international camps left before Southgate names his squad for the European Championship in Germany next summer, a tournament which could be his last as England manager with his contract due to expire in December 2024.

In the past, Southgate has picked his tried and trusted players, seeing him lead the team to the Euro 2020 final and the quarter-final at the World Cup in Qatar, where it was acknowledged that England had made real progress in their playing style.

Here's some selection dilemmas we could see this time around.

Midfield gaps

When the last England squad was announced in May, Southgate made the point that he will continue to pick the best players available, as the best nations in the world do to build consistency in results and performance.

Since then, Jordan Henderson, such an important part of the England set-up for many years, has left Liverpool to join Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.

Southgate has said that he spoke to the 33-year-old midfielder about the transfer, so it will be interesting to see if the move has affected Henderson's England chances going forward.

The England boss consistently mentions the need to be playing at the top level and that the challenges and pressures players at the top teams face are key to them dealing with expectations on the international stage.

Kalvin Phillips said after the 7-0 win over North Macedonia in June that he intended to stay at Manchester City this season, but the 27-year-old has yet to play a minute for his club this season.

Southgate hinted during the last camp that players not playing regularly at their clubs can't continue to get into the England squad for ever and with Phillips' complete lack of game time it may be hard for him to be included. There aren't many other options who play in his position however, so that could save him from being cut out completely.

Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze was handed his debut during the last international camp. He has been Palace's attacking standout so far this season and he could be set to retain his place in the squad as he looks to try to force himself into Euros contention for next summer.

The Maguire issue

One player who has come under scrutiny in England squads of late is defender Harry Maguire.

There is no doubt how important Maguire has been for Southgate over the last few years but, like Phillips, his complete lack of game time at Manchester United may be too hard to ignore.

The 30-year-old has started all four of England's European qualifiers so far and with John Stones out injured, he is by far the most experienced centre-back Southgate has to pick from.

This does feel like it could be a make-or-break camp for Maguire. He has been stripped of the captaincy at Manchester United and isn't in their team but if he is included for this camp, it could indicate that Southgate intends to keep backing a player who has never let him down on the international stage.

Raheem Sterling is another player trusted by Southgate, but due to a mixture of fitness issues he has not been included in the last two squads.

The 28-year-old is the next highest scorer after Harry Kane for England and has looked rejuvenated under new Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino so far this season.

He scored twice and got an assist in the 3-0 win over Luton and was Chelsea's best player in their defeat to West Ham, a match where Southgate was in attendance.

Sterling's reliability on the national stage means it is almost definite that the Chelsea forward will be included this time around, as even as he struggled last season for form, Southgate said Sterling would have been in his squad if fully fit.

Under-21s continue progress

The England-U21 side won a European Championship for the first time in nearly 40 years in Georgia over the summer, and a large number of that side are now too old to represent the Young Lions.

Southgate is a former England U21s manager and a big supporter of the pathway from youth football to the senior side. He and his assistant Steve Holland went out to Georgia to spend time with the Young Lions and assess the players he has coming through.

Morgan Gibbs-White was arguably one of the players of the tournament and has continued that form into the current season. He got an assist in Nottingham Forest's exciting defeat by Manchester United at the weekend and added a regular flow of goals and assists to his game at the end of the last season.

If Southgate is looking to call up one of the members of Lee Carsley's side there won't be many better placed than Gibbs-White, who is such an important member of Nottingham Forest's team at the age of 23.

Defender Levi Colwill is another who looks set to be included this time around. Colwill has already had a taste of the senior set-up when he was called up to train during the last international camp.

The centre-back has started every game under Pochettino at Chelsea after agreeing a new six-year-deal. Southgate has namechecked him in press conferences and travelled to Georgia to see him play in a tournament where England U21's didn't concede.

Following his good start to the season, it would be hard to see how Colwill isn't included, particularly with the advantage that he is a left footed, left-sided centre-back - potentially creating another challenge for Maguire.

Potential call-ups

As always, there are a number of players pushing for their first senior call-up or a recall.

At Brighton, Solly March has continued his excellent form from the back end of last season and has already scored three goals in the Premier League. The 29-year-old was another player namechecked last time by the England manager but with the forwards included in May (Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Callum Wilson, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford) and the potential addition of Sterling, he could still be eighth in line to play.

March's team-mate Lewis Dunk has also started the season well and had to withdraw with injury after being called up in May. The emergence of Colwill may mean the Chelsea defender has jumped ahead of him, but centre-back could well be an area of movement for Southgate.

Defender Ben White, midfielder James Ward-Prowse and forward Jarrod Bowen will all be pushing for places but with returning players, new faces and Southgate wanting to build on consistency, they may find them hard to come by. Midfielder James Maddison, who was included and impressed against Malta in June, should be set to keep his spot after an impressive start to the season pulling the strings at Tottenham.

Source Link