Gareth Southgate’s last England squad before he names the players making a trip to the World Cup is combination of brand name dependability and the opportunity for Brentford’s Ivan Toney to turn into a late ‘bolter’ for Qatar.
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, specifically, will be thankful for Southgate’s confidence subsequent to being minimized at Old Trafford under new boss Erik ten Hag, while Toney’s five goals and exceptional performances have given him a deserved place in the 28-man panel.
While there are two important Nations League on the horizon. With Italy in the San Siro in Milan and Germany at Wembley acting as the opposition, it will be important to not only try secure a place on the plane to Qatar but also make up for lost ground in this UEFA governed tournament.
Southgate will need to end a run of four England games without a success, including routs home and away by Hungary, the last an embarrassing 4-0 whipping at Molineux and he will also want to avoid relegation to the second tier of the Nations League.