JAMAICA UP THE HEAT ON REDMOND
LATE SHOUT OVER MOUNT
GARETH SOUTHGATE will make a late decision on Mason Mount ahead of England’s crunch World Cup qualifier at Wembley tonight.
Three Lions boss Southgate has been trying not to start a player in all three games and Mount did some gym work before joining in the full training session which will set off alarm bells at Chelsea.
But Southgate insists that Mount would be fit to start as he also prepares to give another chance for Jesse Lingard (left) and has hinted heavily he will revert to a back-three to face Poland.
Southgate said: “Mason didn’t warm up with the rest of the team, but he did the rest of the session after so he should be fine.
“They’re all available as far as we’re concerned.”
Southgate has used a back-four in the wins over San Marino and Albania but has been clear that he believes a back-three is the formation that he favours for the Euros.
And the England boss said that it would be wrong to suddenly change his whole tactical thinking on the basis of one player, such as Manchester City’s John Stones’ return to form. Southgate added: “Of course its always good to have different options and players to be flexible in the way they play.
“But equally you can’t build formation or team just on the availability of one or two players because what happens if they get injured a night before the game?”
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JAMAICA are pushing ahead with their bid to land Southampton forward Nathan Redmond for their 2022 World Cup campaign.
Redmond, whose two goals at Bournemouth fired the Saints into the FA Cup semi-finals, has been targeted by Jamaica along with a host of other Premier League and EFL players.
Redmond (left) has made one full appearance for England, but it was not in a competitive match, so he could, through his family, be eligible for Jamaica’s qualifying campaign, which starts in September.
Jamaican Football Federation senior vice-president Bruce Gaynor confirmed: “Yes, he will be somebody that we will be interested in.”
If Redmond agrees, he could join Watford’s Andre Gray, Fulham’s Bobby Decordova-Reid and Michael Hector, and former West Ham forward Ravel Morrison in the Jamaica squad.