Rose and Stones in fight to make final England squad
Defenders have one last chance to prove fitness Southgate plans to name five standbys for Russia Players sweating on selection
He wants to avoid a repeat of 1998 when Gascoigne reacted angrily to being left out
On the last day of the Premier League season, Danny Rose and John Stones will be given one final chance to prove their fitness before Gareth Southgate names his World Cup squad. With the campaign ending tomorrow, the England manager will watch Tottenham Hotspur face Leicester City at Wembley. His assistant, Steve Holland, will attend Southampton’s home match against Manchester City.
Southgate intends to select Rose and Stones for Russia, if they are fit, as well as Adam Lallana. It is hoped the midfielder might feature in Liverpool’s match at home to Brighton having trained all week.
Southgate will submit a provisional 35-man squad to Fifa on Monday – which will not be made public – before revealing his 23-strong squad on Wednesday. He is expected to name five standby players and they are due to include Liverpool right-back, Trent Alexander-arnold, 19.
There is relief that Kieran Trippier, of Tottenham, does not appear to have a serious thigh injury after going off in the midweek win over Newcastle United. But if Trippier had been ruled out, Southgate would have turned to the uncapped Alexander-arnold, who has not been called up before but has trained with the senior squad.
“We hope that he will be involved in the game on Sunday,” Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino said of Trippier while confirming that another England player, Eric Dier, should also play against Leicester, although he will be assessed after feeling “a little bit weak” from a virus.
The Leicester pair of Harry Maguire and Jamie Vardy will be in Southgate’s 23, while there have been suggestions that he is considering Ben Chilwell. However, Rose, Southampton captain Ryan Bertrand and Manchester United’s Ashley Young are all ahead of him, while Southgate may also call upon City’s Fabian Delph, who can play in midfield or at left-back.
It is unlikely Stones will not be included, given his importance to the team, not just the squad, but the defender lost his place in the City side before suffering an abductor problem. He was watched by Southgate on his comeback last weekend against Huddersfield and it is interesting that he is being watched again.
Although Southgate appears to have settled on his three goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford first choice, Jack Butland second and Joe Hart third; the form of Southampton’s Alex Mccarthy has not gone unnoticed. Burnley’s Nick Pope is likely to miss out. The 26-year-old was called up for England’s friendlies against Holland and Italy but did not play. It is understood he was not impressive in training where his distribution was more limited than the others. Southgate used that get-together to speak to Hart and ascertain whether the 31-year-old was prepared to go to Russia as thirdchoice but also as a senior member of the squad. Hart is thought to have reacted positively. The England manager remains extremely keen to take Lallana even though he has played only 14 times for Liverpool in an injury-ravaged campaign. He has not featured since coming on as a substitute away to Crystal Palace on March 31, suffering a hamstring injury after just five minutes, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “He trains normally for about a week. [He’s gone a] long time without football, but Adam is Adam so he looks OK. The perfect thing now would be to have minutes, we will see if we have the opportunity to do that. But he is as fit as he can be.”
Southgate’s final squad could be affected by Liverpool’s place in the Champions League final on May 26. Conversations have taken place about whether James Milner is willing to come out of international retirement but the 32-year-old midfielder has so far declined.
Southgate will hope that Jordan Henderson and Lallana come through unscathed and not least because he has already lost Alex Oxlade-chamberlain and Joe Gomez from his Liverpool contingent. Both would have gone.
The return of Ruben Loftuscheek is a bonus for Southgate, who intends to include the 22-yearold. His selection was endorsed by Southgate’s predecessor, and Crystal Palace manager, Roy Hodgson, who said: “If it was me selecting the squad, I would find a place for him.”
Nevertheless, Southgate does have selection issues all over the pitch. His forward options are fairly set. The only question mark is whether he adds Danny Welbeck, while there is also a decision to make on his Arsenal team-mate, Jack Wilshere.
The midfielder, who withdrew from the last pair of friendlies through injury, would not have been included had Oxlade-chamberlain been fit and it may well be that Southgate is weighing up whether to take Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook instead.
Gary Cahill’s return to the Chelsea team has been timely, with the central defender having been left out by Southgate because he lost his club place.
His experience may prove decisive as Southgate decides whether to include Burnley’s James Tarkowski, who did well on his debut against Italy.
Southgate is considering including Jadon Sancho, 18, in his 35-man submission. Sancho has impressed since joining Borussia Dortmund. Dan Ashworth, the Football Association’s technical director, and Paul Simpson, the under-20s coach, have twice travelled to Dort- mund to watch Sancho and hold talks.
Southgate does not have to name a 23-man squad next week but recently explained why he was planning to do so – partly because he wants to avoid a re-run of the stressful way in which the squad was selected ahead of the 1998 World Cup when manager Glenn Hoddle called players in one-by-one and Paul Gascoigne reacted angrily to being left out. Southgate is expected to call the players who do not make the cut before the 23 is announced.
“If you name 28 and they aren’t sure … but if you name 23 and five on standby – which Sven [-Goran Eriksson] did well – then everyone knows where they sit,” Southgate said. “Those on standby have a chance but they come into the camp knowing their role.”