Gareth Southgate will unveil his final pre-World Cup England squad on Thursday – but who would make your starting XI?
England will face Italy and Germany in the UEFA Nations League on September 23rd and 26th, respectively – providing a final window of opportunity for periphery players to break into the manager’s plans for the World Cup in November.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney is knocking on the door for an inaugural call-up as Harry Kane’s understudy after a prolific start to the campaign, with Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin yet to play this term due to ongoing injury issues.
Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek has reentered the fray after earning regular game time and sustained form, while seasoned international Kieran Trippier is vying for a starting berth among a catalogue of options at full-back.
Meanwhile, several first-team players are struggling for form and minutes at their respective clubs and will be looking to cement berths, including the likes of Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish.
So, what would your England starting XI look like if the World Cup started today and all players were available? Use our interactive selector to pick your team below, screenshot your selections and share on Twitter @SkyFootball.
Rashford set to miss England games
Erik ten Hag has backed Marcus Rashford to make England’s World Cup squad despite the injured forward being set to miss out on a Nations League international recall.
Rashford has started the campaign in promising fashion for United and was expected to be named in Gareth Southgate’s squad on Thursday for the forthcoming games against Italy and Germany.
But the 24-year-old is still feeling the effects of an injury picked up in the 3-1 Premier League victory over Arsenal on September 4, when he scored twice to take his season’s tally to three.
Having sat out United’s opening Europa League game, a 1-0 home defeat to Real Sociedad, Rashford will again be missing for their second group game away to Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday.
