England will play their Nations League games against Italy in Milan on September 23 and Germany at Wembley three days later. They have made a poor start to their campaign with two defeats and two draws, but the competition for World Cup places adds an extra layer of risk for those involved. In particular, the inclusion of Toney, whose five top-flight goals this season include a hat-trick against Leeds this month, changes the picture of the battle for the trip as Harry Kane’s understudy. Tammy Abraham, who retains his place in a 28-man squad, was sluggish when given his chance in the home draw with Italy three months ago, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin is injured and Ollie Watkins has faded from the squad. picture. It means Toney, who scored 12 times in his first Premier League campaign last season, can be a strong contender for Qatar 2022 if he impresses over the next fortnight. “We’ve been watching him for a long time,” Southgate said of Toney. “I had a good chat with Thomas Frank about him last season. His form and his attributes – not only in scoring, but also his technical ability, his organization of play and his aerial prowess – make us a different threat to some of the other players we could select.” Quick guide
England team
projection Goalkeepers Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal) Defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Mark Gwehi (Crystal Palace), Rhys James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester ). United), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City) Midfielders Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Calvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) Front Tammy Abraham (Roma), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Ivan Toney (Brentford) Thanks for your response. Another striker, Marcus Rashford, had his hopes of a recall dashed by a muscle injury. He faces a race against time to win back a place in the affections of Southgate, who left him out last season. Manchester United team-mate Jadon Sancho also misses out despite improving form. Southgate took pains to say Rashford has shown “encouraging signs” recently and offered hope of a return if the trend continues. Dier’s return comes after a string of impressive displays for Spurs under Antonio Conte. Southgate had explained in May that the centre-back’s qualities were already known and that he wanted to explore newer alternatives. “He has played well for a period of time,” Southgate said. “We think it’s a very close call between our centre-backs and he deserved to be selected again in the group. We know what a good character he is. He fits the culture and has great international experience and leadership qualities.” Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi keep their places in the squad while Ben White misses out. Jordan Henderson’s injury prevents the Liverpool man from returning to midfield. James Justin and Conor Gallagher, who have endured mixed starts to the season, are out but left-backs Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell return. Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was released early from the June games after an extended season with Liverpool, also makes the cut. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Southgate admitted it was a concern that the likes of Shaw, Chilwell, Harry Maguire and Calvin Phillips did not feature for their clubs. “It’s not ideal, he said. “But we believe they were and can be important players for us. It’s not a perfect situation, but there’s still a lot of football to be played before Qatar.” Dean Henderson, who won his only cap in November 2020, is the beneficiary of Jordan Pickford’s injury. The Nottingham Forest goalkeeper, on loan from Manchester United, joins Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope in the race for the No.1 shirt.
