England boss Gareth Southgate will name his provisional squad for the European Championships at 2pm on Tuesday.
He is likely to name 30+ players in his initial group before trimming it back to 26 before the UEFA deadline of 11pm on June 7.
That number is an increase of three for this tournament, which the England boss has previously hinted might allow him to gamble on players returning from injury.
So which are the names to look out for? Who won’t have slept too well on Monday night? Who might have to make hasty summer holiday plans with the family?
Let’s take a look…
Read our other sports news stories:
The key tasks facing Slot at Liverpool
Slot: Liverpool offer ‘difficult to ignore’
Liverpool confirm Slot arrival
Marcus Rashford
The big one. This is the story no matter what Southgate decides. There was a time when Rashford was one of the first names on the team sheet, let alone in the squad, but the 26-year-old’s form in a dismal season for Manchester United has raised serious questions over his place for the first time.
He has scored eight goals and assisted just five more across all competitions this season, failing to score in the final eight games of his season and coming off the bench late in his club’s final day win at Brighton on Sunday.
Southgate is known for showing loyalty to players who have previously served him well so it would be a fairly seismic shock if he were to be omitted from the provisional squad, as he has 60 caps and has played in two World Cups and the last European Championships.
However the form of Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer this season may mean there is no role for him. All three would be more at home on the right side of attack but are talented and versatile enough to not be considered square pegs in round holes. Rashford has not played more than 15 minutes of any England game in over six months.
The other problem for Rashford is Anthony Gordon, who is natural on the left and has enjoyed a good season…
Source link : https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/dilemmas_for_southgate/
Author : Alex Hoad
Publish date : 2024-05-21 08:19:23
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.