CAHILL AXED BUT STILL HAS A CHANCE

GARETH SOUTHGATE insists ‘all options remain open’ as he left the door ajar for players to force their way into his World Cup squad — including the dropped Gary Cahill. England’s manager accepted he named an experimental 27-man group for friendlies against Holland a week today and Italy on the Tuesday after. There were first call-ups for Swansea defender Alfie Mawson and Burnley pair Nick Pope and James Tarkowski, while Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook was elevated from the Under 21s. And Southgate made it clear that Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the Chelsea midfielder on loan at Crystal Palace, Phil Jones, Fabian Delph and Cahill are all in his thinking. Southgate intends to play with three central defenders and dropped Chelsea captain Cahill so that he can look at Mawson and Tarkowski. Tottenham midfielder Eric Dier will also be used at the back to see his suitability for the role. ‘He’s a player that I really respect,’ Southgate said of Cahill. ‘I don’t want to bring someone who isn’t going to play. We are experimenting with some players we think we need to know who might come into the fringes of the squad.’ Southgate has given serious thought to taking Loftus-Cheek to Russia. He name-checked the 22-year-old several times yesterday at his briefing at St George’s Park. ‘He’s a serious contender because of the technical ability and physical presence he’s got,’ said Southgate. ‘We showed our belief in him in November. I thought he played extremely well (in the friendlies against Germany and Brazil) but he’s still at the very early stages of his development. The key for him is to get back playing.’ Southgate will be happier when Harry Kane is up and running again. He has had contact with Tottenham’s medical department after damaging ankle ligaments. ‘Harry is as robust as any player we have got,’ said Southgate, who will name his captain for the friendlies when the squad convenes on Monday. ‘He’s just unfortunate to be in collisions where he’s going in where it hurts. To score goals, you have to put your body on the line.’