Sunday People

GARETH’S QAT CALL

Big selection dilemmas facing boss... just 70 days out from the tournament

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GOALKEEPER­S

DEAN HENDERSON’S return to first-team action, on loan at Nottingham Forest, is a bonus but he has conceded 14 goals in six Premier League games.

Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope are performing well for Arsenal and Newcastle respective­ly but Southgate will be hoping Jordan Pickford’s thigh injury – which will keep him out of this double header – is not a long-term problem.

Pickford (above right, with Pope) remains his No.1 but Southgate does appear to have decent back-up.

DEFENDERS

THIS is probably the area where

Southgate has the most conundrums.

His faith in Harry Maguire has been unshakeabl­e but the Manchester United captain cannot get into his club’s

Premier League starting team after being dreadful in the opening fixtures.

Maguire’s teammate, Luke Shaw, has been suffering with niggling injury but has lost his place to Tyrell

Malacia and is unlikely to win it back.

Ben Chilwell

WHEN Gareth Southgate went to watch Tammy Abraham and Chris Smalling at Udinese last Sunday, the outcome was almost inevitable.

Abraham and Smalling’s Roma fell to a crushing 4-0 defeat, neither distinguis­hed themselves and the former went off early with a shoulder injury.

As Southgate prepares to name his squad for the Nations League games against Italy and Germany – the last chance for players to impress in the internatio­nal stage before the start of Qatar 2022 – he faces more questions than answers.

The games in Milan on September 23 and at Wembley on September 26 are England’s last fixtures before the start of Qatar 2022 and Southgate’s last chance to have a close look at his players before naming a 55-man long list and, eventually, a World Cup squad of 26.

Here, ANDY DUNN takes a look at some of Southgate’s dilemmas ahead of his squad announceme­nt.

competes with Marc Cucurella for a place in Chelsea’s team, Kyle Walker and John Stones have not been their usual imperious selves at Manchester City and Tyrone Mings – who missed out on Southgate’s last squad – has had issues at Aston Villa.

Fikayo Tomori, though, has establishe­d himself as a key man

at AC Milan while Eric Dier is surely in line for a recall and Brighton’s Adam Webster could be in with a shout.

MIDFIELDER­S

KALVIN PHILLIPS is another Southgate favourite and was England’s 2020/21 Player of the Year but has played the grand total of 13 minutes football for his new club Manchester City.

His City team-mate Jack Grealish is also struggling to find his best form.

Both have done more than enough for their place not to be under threat and the same goes for Mason Mount, who has hardly been pulling up trees with Chelsea so far this season.

After an indifferen­t start to the season, however, Jarrod Bowen will be sweating on Southgate’s selection.

ATTACKERS

WHILE Abraham might not have impressed against Udinese, he has done enough with Roma to be in Southgate’s plans but there should still be a first callup for Ivan Toney, who has been sensationa­l for Brentford this season. Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho are pushing for a recall but it is unlikely both will be brought back into the fold. Raheem Sterling will remain a go-to attacker and, even at this early stage, looks a guaranteed starter alongside Harry Kane (both above) when England line-up against Iran for their first game of the World Cup on November 21.

 ?? ?? RUNNING OUT OF TIME: Maguire, Shaw and Grealish are stuggling for action
RUNNING OUT OF TIME: Maguire, Shaw and Grealish are stuggling for action

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