England squad: Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mason Greenwood set for recalls, Harry Kane in line for call-up
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mason Greenwood missed Euro 2020 after pulling out before the tournament through injury; both players have returned to fitness and impressed in opening two games of the Premier League; England play Hungary, Andorra and Poland in World Cup qualifiers next month
Thursday 26 August 2021 14:03, UK
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mason Greenwood are set to be recalled to the England squad for next month's World Cup qualifiers, but Ben Chilwell's place is at risk.
Left-back Chilwell has not featured this season for Chelsea and did not play in the Euros for England.
Leicester winger Harvey Barnes could be called up as Gareth Southgate is likely to name an increased squad of 25 players on Thursday to counter the risks of Covid and possible injuries this weekend.
His chances of inclusion are increased with Marcus Rashford (shoulder) and Phil Foden (foot) missing out through injury.
United's Dean Henderson and Arsenal's Ben White are likely to miss out, as they continue to recover after testing positive for Coronavirus.
TAA, Greenwood to be rewarded for fine start
Alexander-Arnold and Greenwood missed Euro 2020 - where England reached the final before being beaten by Italy on penalties - after suffering injuries before the tournament.
But the pair have started the season well after returning to fitness, with Greenwood scoring in both of Manchester United's Premier League games, and Alexander-Arnold helping Liverpool keep back-to-back clean sheets.
Although he was named in Southgate's expanded squad ahead of Euro 2020 before having to pull out through injury, Greenwood has not played for his country since September 2020, when he was sent home after breaching coronavirus protocols after a game in Iceland.
Alexander-Arnold has featured more regularly for England - representing his country four times last season - but is likely to face strong competition at right-back from Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran Trippier.
Harry Kane, who on Wednesday confirmed he will be staying at Tottenham this summer despite informing the club he wanted to leave during the current transfer window, is also set to be named in the squad.
Spurs have rebuffed Manchester City's attempts to sign Kane, but it is understood Southgate was planning to include his captain in his squad even if he was engaged in negotiations over a transfer up until Tuesday's deadline.
Arrangements would have been made to allow Kane to complete a medical or travel off-site to conclude any possible deal if it occurred after the England squad meets up following this weekend's Premier League fixtures.
Kane returned to Tottenham for pre-season later than planned - although he denied refusing to train - and was further delayed after being forced to quarantine following his arrival from Barbados, via Florida.
He missed Spurs' opening two games of the season, but proved his fitness by coming off the bench in the second half of their 1-0 win at Wolves on Sunday - his first action since the Euro 2020 final.
Southgate is planning to name his strongest possible squad for the qualifiers, with Hungary and Poland likely to be England's toughest opponents in Group I.
The first of the three games will take place in Budapest on September 2, before Andorra travel to Wembley three days later. England round off their fixtures against Poland in Warsaw on September 8.
The bulk of the squad will be similar to that which took England to the final of Euro 2020 at Wembley 45 days ago, although Nick Pope is set to return after injury also ruled him out of the competition.
However, Southgate will be limited to calling up only 23 players, rather than the 26 he was allowed for the Euros. Each team will be able to make five substitutions per game during the qualifiers.
Who else could be called up? Ings? Alli?
Rashford, who was among those to miss penalties in the final shoot-out, will not be in the squad after undergoing surgery on a long-standing shoulder issue earlier this month.
Foden is another Euro 2020 squad member who will miss out as the playmaker recovers from a foot injury, while goalkeeper Dean Henderson is building fitness after contracting Covid-19 last month.
Danny Ings has begun his Aston Villa career in goal scoring form - including that spectacular overhead kick in the win over Newcastle.
And what about Dele Alli? Over two years now since his last International appearance, his early season form in a deeper midfield role for Tottenham has shown promise.
Question marks over White and Chilwell
Henderson's continuing absence means Sam Johnstone and Aaron Ramsdale are likely to be Jordan Pickford's goalkeeping support.
White is currently recovering from Covid-19 after missing Arsenal's defeat to Chelsea and is a significant doubt for their clash with Manchester City this weekend.
Chilwell did not play a minute for England at Euro 2020 - and was sidelined after being deemed a close contact following Billy Gilmour's positive Covid-19 test during the tournament.
So far, Chilwell has not featured for Chelsea this season - with Thomas Tuchel opting for Marcos Alonso.
- VAR to be used in European World Cup qualifiers
- Qatar says only vaccinated fans allowed at 2022 World Cup
What do the stats say?
As Southgate prepares to name his squad, we have compiled an England XI from the stats-based Sky Sports Power Rankings this season and there are some surprise selections - albeit from a limited number of games played.
Saint-Etienne's aptly named 'keeper Etienne Green kicks up the first shock in goal by ousting current England No 1 Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope - having recently revealed a desire to play for his homeland.
Former Premier League starlets Reece Oxford and Fikayo Timori earn centre-back starting berths - having started the campaign in stellar style for AC Milan and FC Augsburg, respectively.
Alexander-Arnold missed Euro 2020 through injury but the 22-year-old has kicked off the season with form to warrant inclusion, while West Ham's Aaron Cresswell occupies the left flank after carrying his form from last term into the new campaign.
A more familiar trio are pencilled into a three-man midfield, with Declan Rice holding centrally, flanked by Mason Mount and Jack Grealish - although Southgate is unlikely to play Manchester City's £100m recruit in that deeper role.
Up top, man of the moment Michail Antonio becomes the third West Ham player to make the XI after his explosive start with three goals in two games. Antonio has chosen to represent Jamaica but has not made yet made his international debut for them. As such, he remains eligible to be selected by England at this time.
Meanwhile, Greenwood and Montpellier and former Arsenal forward Stephy Mavididi earns a debut down the left.
Moving on from Euro 2020... What lessons have been learnt?
Tomorrow's squad announcement will be the first time we've heard from the England manager since the morning after that defeat to Italy at Wembley.
Whilst reaffirming his desire to lead the team to Qatar 2022, Southgate spoke about the emotional toll the tournament had taken on him and his players - and the need for rest, recuperation and reflection.
Has he watched the final back? If so what lessons has he taken?
There's no doubt a manager as diligent at Southgate, aided by Steve Holland and a host of skilled coaches and video staff, will seek to learn from that disappointing night in July.
But, is the message now to forget and move on? To ensure this generation of players are not scared by the biggest of ''what ifs?''
Southgate staunchly supported Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka following their penalty shoot-out misses.
He will have been heartened by the applause for Saka from Brentford, Tottenham and Chelsea fans already this season - but Sancho and Rashford have been targeted by for abuse from some supporters.
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