Gareth’s screen test on nervy weekend

GARETH SOUTHGATE will have the option to watch the final round of Premier League games before the World Cup in real time from his house, hoping his players come through unscathed. Having selected his 26-man squad for Qatar on Thursday, he now faces an anxious wait to discover whether any of his players suffer injuries before they depart next week.

And Southgate can watch all 10 games from the comfort of his own home thanks to an analysis system that provides him with visual access to matches. It remains to be seen whether Southgate attends a match this weekend, but indications are that he will remain at his Harrogate home. Southgate has not named an official standby list but can draft in replacements in case of injury. Addressing that prospect, he said on Thursday: ‘There’s nothing I can do about it so watching the matches unfold, you’re always intrigued at how the games are going. But we can do nothing about injuries. ‘We’ve already been hit in that way. It could happen again and we’ve got to adapt. We’ve got players to come in.’