When Gareth Southgate announces his England squad for the upcoming Nations League game against Spain and friendly versus Switzerland, he is expected to call up the same players who served him so well during the World Cup.
Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill close the door on international football but leave it unlocked
Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill recently informed their manager they are stepping down from the national team, at least for the time being. Vardy noted his decision was made based on Southgate’s preference of youngsters.
“When you get selected, you want to be playing. If you’re playing week in, week out for your club, you want to be going to England to play as well. And if it’s not happening, then for me personally now, at this age, it’s better to be at home, spending that time with my family and training with my club, preparing for the next game after the international break.”
Vardy will still be available if injuries strike, but in general, the 31-year-old’s international career seems to have come to an end.
Gary Cahill has a similar mindset.
“It’s time to take a step back,”
“I feel it’s the right moment to do that. If I’m ever needed in the future then obviously I’m there.”
Phil Jones was injured in the loss to Tottenham and is unlikely to feature.
Southgate will likely use his World Cup standby list to find replacements. The most obvious choices are Joe Gomez, who missed the trip to Russia due to an ankle injury, and Burnley’s centre-back James Tarkowski.
Who’s in, who’s out?
Ryan Sessegnon and Jadon Sancho are two attacking options for England’s manager, although he might opt for the experienced Adam Lallana, at least for now. James Maddison has impressed in his early days as a Leicester City attacking midfielder, so he could be on the short list as well.
Another question is who will replace the injured Nick Pope as the third choice goalkeeper behind Pickford and Butland. Pope’s Burnley teammates Tom Heaton and Joe Hart are in contention, as is Southampton’s Alex McCarthy.
Gareth Southgate will make his official squad announcement on Thursday, at which point we will all know who’s in and who’s out.
What is the Nations League?
UEFA Nations League is a new competition for national teams replacing friendlies with competitive games within the existing calendar. The aim is to ensure teams are evenly matched, which is why the 55 participating European nations are divided into four leagues based on their coefficient. The new league system has promotion and relegation, a final tournament, a new trophy, and also provides another route to Euro 2020.
