Southgate will gamble on United’s Red arrows
UNCAPPED Manchester United forward Jesse Lingard is set to join team-mate Marcus Rashford in Gareth Southgate’s first England squad when it is announced tonight.
Provided they come through unscathed from United’s lunchtime game against Stoke City, the youngsters will be part of a strong Old Trafford contingent also featuring Wayne Rooney and Chris Smalling for England’s two World Cup qualifiers against Malta on Saturday and i n Slovenia the following Tuesday.
Lingard, 23, is highly-regarded by i nterim boss Southgate who selected him for England Under-21s at the European Championship in 2015.
But the closest he has come to a full senior cap was being named by Roy Hodgson in the squad to play France at Wembley late last year.
He was subsequently left out of the squad for Euro 2016 despite scoring Manchester United’s winner in the FA Lingard to be Southgate’s first big call
Cup final and did not make Sam Allardyce’s squad against Slovakia.
Southgate, who has taken over the reins after the exit of Allardyce who was caught out in a newspaper sting over third-party ownership, is a big admirer of the attitude shown by players who come through at Old Trafford.
He was impressed with rampant Rashford on and off the pitch when the teenager dropped down to the Under21s earlier this season and scored an impressive hat-trick against Norway.
Everton’s Ross Barkley could also make a swift comeback for England although the fate of coach Craig Shakespeare, who was appointed by Allardyce, remains in the balance as talks with the FA continue.
Barkley was ditched for the World Cup qualifier against Slovakia last month but his hopes of returning strengthened last night with the news that Liverpool’s Adam Lallana will miss the games against Malta and Slovenia after suffering a groin injury in the 2-1 win at Swansea yesterday.
‘Adam felt his groin and tried to play on and it didn’t work and he has no chance for the national team,’ said Anfield boss Jurgen Klopp. ‘But hopefully 16 days should be enough to get him back for the next game.’ Jack Wilshere will also hope for a recall.
Southgate watched Barkley in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace and assistant Sammy Lee saw Wilshere play for Bournemouth in the 2-2 draw at Watford.
Southgate will work with Steve Holland, who was his assistant at Under-21s level, along with Lee and goalkeeping coach Martyn Margetson, both of whom were Allardyce’s men.
FA chiefs have to now decide whether Southgate should keep the job if he performs well in the next four games or whether to appoint a more experienced foreign coach, such as Arsene Wenger, if he can be prised away from Arsenal.
The FA did consider Southgate before appointing Allardyce, with the proviso he worked alongside an experienced coach.
And a Southgate appointment does mean that FA technical director Dan Ashworth’s vision of ‘dominating possession intelligently’ would be back on the agenda.
Southgate is much more in tune with Ashworth’s vision, who would have been happy to continue with Roy Hodgson prior to the calamitous defeat by Iceland, because the former manager was trying to get England playing in the style that FA bosses favoured.