ESPN FC’s Alexis Nunes and Steve Nicol assess the English FA’s consideration to bid for the 2030 World Cup.
Luke Shaw has been recalled to the England squad by Gareth Southgate for the UEFA Nations League opener against Spain and friendly against Switzerland, with Manchester United teammate Ashley Young making way.
Young has been dropped despite being part of the England squad at the World Cup after losing his starting spot at club level to Shaw, who was last called up in March 2017 and has made just one appearance under Southgate.
Southgate is unable to call upon Gary Cahill or Jamie Vardy after both men removed themselves from England consideration this week to focus on their club careers, though neither has categorically ruled out making a return to international football in future.
Liverpool defender Joe Gomez returns to the squad after missing out on the World Cup due to injury, while teammate Adam Lallana and Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski are also included, having been on the standby list for Russia.
— England (@England) August 30, 2018
Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy is the man chosen to replace the injured Nick Pope as third-choice goalkeeper, but Southgate has kept faith with 18 of the 23-man squad that led England to the World Cup semifinals.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek keeps his place despite being yet to start in the Premier League since returning to parent club Chelsea, while reported call-ups for Manchester City academy graduate Phil Foden and Borussia Dortmund prospect Jadon Sancho has proved premature.
“We’re obviously coming off the back of a successful summer, so I think there’s a good foundation for us to build on,” Southgate told the Football Association’s official website.
“With us only being three games into the season, I felt some continuity was important so those who were with us in the summer deserve the right to go again. Others haven’t really had the opportunity to force themselves ahead of those guys.
“From here we have a two-year lead into the European Championships, so I want us to try and capture what we had this summer and why they felt it went well — but, once we’re through this camp, there’s going to be competition from others. People are going to have to play at a good level to retain their places.”
On the subject of Cahill, Vardy and Young, he added: “Those guys are older and — in a couple of their cases — aren’t playing much with us. I recognise that, when you’re travelling with England and not playing for a fair bit of time, that’s a different sort of role. I did that myself for a few years.
“There’s a point where I don’t need to know what those guys can do as we’re looking to bring younger players through. It was great that we were able to have mature conversations about that.
“They all want to stay available and have all done a fantastic job with us. The door’s certainly not closed.”
England squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jack Butland (Stoke City), Alex McCarthy (Southampton)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Harry Maguire (Leicester City), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), James Tarkowski (Burnley), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)
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