Relegated stars must move or face Southgate axe
ENGLAND’S relegated stars will need to find new clubs to ensure they stay in Gareth Southgate’s plans. Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland, West Bromwich midfielder Jake Livermore and Swansea defender Alfie Mawson all suffered relegation last season. Butland was still named in Southgate’s final 23-man squad for the World Cup, while Livermore was picked on the standby list. Mawson, who was called up into the previous squad, missed out. While it is not a hard and fast rule, Southgate is minded to only consider players who are playing topflight football. All three will almost certainly need to move this summer to ensure they stay at the forefront of Southgate’s thinking. Watford and Wolves want Butland and West Ham are keen on Mawson. Southgate wants his players to have as much big-game experience as possible. For example, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s displays in Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final were crucial to his selection. Butland, though, is putting all talk of a move away from Stoke to one side until after the World Cup. ‘I’m contracted. It’s not like I’m out of contract and things are up in the air,’ he said. ‘I don’t have anything in the pipeline and there’s no focus on that at the minute. ‘The most important thing for me is being part of a successful England squad.’