Trio listening as Southgate promises England debuts, confirms one key doubt for Switzerland clash
Gareth Southgate will be giving out England debuts across the international friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast, he has confirmed amid a squad update.
England have two fixtures to fulfil in the current international break. Neither are competitive, given that World Cup qualification has already been secured. It will therefore be an interesting opportunity for him to test out some other players.
The squad features a few players who have not been capped at senior level before. Full-backs Kyle Walker-Peters and Tyrick Mitchell, plus centre-half Marc Guehi, are in contention for their full England bows.
Manager Southgate used his Friday press conference to confirm that new faces will be given a chance over the next few days.
He said: “We will have debuts this week for sure. Great moments for those players and we will always want to put them in with experienced players.”
Some members of Southgate’s original squad have had to withdraw, though. Now, he faces further depletion, with Emile Smith Rowe revealed to be a doubt.
The manager confirmed: “Emile Smith Rowe did not train today so he is unlikely to be involved tomorrow.
“Raheem [Sterling] is fine. It was shame to lose Bukayo [Saka] but we are back in those moments again where this is a spike again [in Covid cases].”
There is now a chance for players to stake their claim ahead of the World Cup at the end of the year. One factor that may help them work their way into Southgate’s consideration is versatility.
He explained: “The key is being excellent in one position. You never know how adaptable someone is to playing two or three positions.
“We have a few players that can do that. It always gives you another opportunity to be selected.”
Southgate reacts to Italy elimination
England will be hoping to go one step further at the World Cup than their last international tournament, when they lost the final of Euro 2020 on penalties to Italy.
Surprisingly, though, the European champions have not made it to the World Cup for the second time in a row. They lost a play-off with North Macedonia on Thursday, before even getting the chance to go head-to-head with Portugal for a place in Qatar.
For Southgate, the fact that England were able to recover from the exhausting summer is worthy of praise when considering what has happened to Italy.
He said: “It was a big surprise [that Italy didn’t win]. That is where out players did so well to recover from the final and play well in the Autumn.
“There were fine margins in three or for of their games and that’s football.
“Training has been good. The players have enjoyed being back together with their England teammates.
“It has given them a psychological refresh before they go back into another important period with their clubs and we are enjoying working with them again.”
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