PLEASE DON’T QUIT YET, GARY
Cahill’s experience is vital to England manager Southgate
GARETH SOUTHGATE will ask Gary Cahill to consider continuing his England career, even if he leaves him out of the first national-team squad since the World Cup.
The England manager was already in discussions with Cahill about his international future while the team was in Russia and on Thursday, Southgate will name his first squad since the run to the semi-finals.
The scary injury to Everton defender Michael Keane yesterday at Bournemouth means Cahill will still be in Southgate’s thoughts, though he is unlikely to feature in the squad to face Spain and Switzerland next month.
South gate appreciates Ca hill’ s experience in such a young squad — the Chelsea defender is 32 and with 61 caps was the only player with more than 50 appearances for England in the World Cup squad.
Unless Joe Hart is recalled, Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson are the most experienced current players other than Cahill, with 44 caps apiece. Cahill’s days as a first-choice England defender look over and the return of Liverpool’s Joe Gomez — who missed out on Russia with an ankle injury — means that he is further down the pecking order.
His new manager Maurizio Sarri says it will take time for Cahill to adapt to his methods and has yet to use him, while Turkish media claim Galatasaray want to sign him.
Liverpool’s Adam Lallana is also expected to return to the squad having just missed the cut for Russia as Southgate deemed his return from injury as having come just too late.
Among the next generation of stars, Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon looks the most likely to get a call with Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho having had very limited game time so far.
Though Foden is the type of player who England need, there is no desire to rush him and his own advisers don’t feel that focusing on breaking into the City team is enough of a challenge at present.
Call um Wilson has impressed early season at Bournemouth but has yet to be called up. Southgate faces a dilemma as to whether to bring back Hart, axed for the World Cup squad but now playing regularly at Burnley.
Jack Butland is now playing in the Championship with Stoke and Nick Pope, Hart’s Burnley team-mate and No 3 at the World Cup, is recovering from shoulder surgery.
Fellow Burnley team- mate Tom Heaton, who has been in previous squads, is struggling with a calf injury. Southampton’s Alex McCarthy has been in the squad twice before but never capped.
Luke Shaw’s return to the Manchester United team means he could be called up with Danny Rose not having had any game time at Tottenham while Southgate would be expected to stick with Ruben Loft us-Cheek despite his failure so far to impress manager Sarri at Chelsea.