Southgate ready to blood young trio

ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate “will not hesitate” to throw Dominic Solanke, Lewis Cook and Angus Gunn into action against Brazil.

The young trio have been drafted in for tonight’s glamour friendly at Wembley and, after handing five players a senior bow in Friday’s encouraging goalless draw against world champions Germany, Southgate is again open to giving youth a chance.

“It’s a very easy squad to settle in to,” the Three Lions boss said at a press conference in London. “

The senior players are very open, very welcoming. Most of the squad are young anyway so know each other from younger age groups.

“Those (three new) guys have fitted in off the field no problem which helps them to fit in on the field - and they’re good players, so in training they look fine.

“We have to see how the game progresses but I won’t have any hesitation in putting them on the pitch.

“Angus has worked with the under-21s with us, he’s playing in the league. The other two captain of the Under-20 World Cup winners (Cook) and Golden Boot winner in the Under20s World Cup (Solanke). They’ve got good pedigree, and we won’t hesitate to put them on the pitch.”

Oliver Norwood hopes Northern Ireland’s valiant display in Switzerland will persuade manager Michael O’Neill to remain at the helm.

O’Neill will take time considering his future after his team came up just short in their World Cup play-off with the Swiss, when a dubious penalty decision in the first leg ended their hopes of reaching back-toback major tournaments for the first time in the country’s history. It felt like the end of an era in Basel on Sunday, where at least four veteran players – Aaron Hughes, Gareth McAuley, Chris Brunt and Jamie Ward – may have pulled on the green jersey for the final time. O’Neill could also be off to pastures new.

However, 26-year-old Norwood is banking on O’Neill staying on.

“We are devastated as a squad, but I hope we stick together,” he said.