Will Maddison, Mount and Sancho make Southgate's squad?
Wednesday 3 October 2018 15:24, UK
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Marcus Rashford and Dele Alli have all become fixtures in Gareth Southgate's England squad - but which youngsters could be next in line for a call-up this week?
Former U21s boss Southgate has continued to turn to the next generation as senior team manager, as he bids to refresh and build for the future after taking the least experienced side in Russia to the World Cup semi-finals in the summer.
With Nations League ties against Croatia and Spain coming up, there are plenty of talented young players vying to make his next England squad, which will be announced on Thursday.
Here, we take a look at some of those young players in the running for inclusion…
James Maddison, 21, Leicester City
With Southgate in need of more ball-playing central midfielder options, James Maddison is almost certain to come into his thinking. The Leicester player has taken the step up from the Championship in his stride, after joining the Foxes this summer following a standout season in the second tier with Norwich.
Maddison, who has four appearances for England's U21s to his name, has three goals and two assists in seven Premier League appearances and won praise from Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp after impressing against Liverpool in September.
"He is so comfortable on the ball," said Redknapp. "He plays little one-twos, always looking to pass forward and he's also the first to press, wins a lot of balls back high up the pitch and I just thought his imagination and passing in the midfield area, which was so congested, was just brilliant, it really was."
Mason Mount, 19, Derby County
Another central midfield option Southgate will consider is Mason Mount, a gem of the Chelsea academy currently making waves on loan in the Championship with Derby. His debut winner for the England U21s against Latvia last month underlined his talent.
Mount, who picked up the player of the tournament prize in helping England U19s to European Championship glory in 2017, was invited to train with the senior squad ahead of this summer's World Cup and has continued to enhance his reputation this season.
With three goals and one assist for Frank Lampard's team, Mount has been a standout performer in the Championship, following up on his breakthrough season in Holland with Vitesse in 2017/18, when he was named as the Eredivisie club's player of the year.
Jadon Sancho, 18, Borussia Dortmund
Jadon Sancho made a surprise move from Manchester City to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 but he has grabbed his first-team chances in the Bundesliga, becoming one of England's most exciting young attackers in the process.
With one goal and five assists in Germany's top flight this season, he has already surpassed his return from his first campaign (one goal, four assists) - and he's only played 125 minutes. The fact Sancho has been limited to just six sub appearances may be a concern for Southgate, but there's no doubt he's made his mark with his speed, skill and technique.
Sancho has also previously impressed on international duty, picking up the player of the tournament prize when England's U17s won the Euros in 2017, before helping that age-group out of the World Cup group stages later in the year before returning to Dortmund for pre-season training.
Ryan Sessegnon, 18, Fulham
A player unquestionably on Southgate's radar will be Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon. While Danny Rose and Luke Shaw are already battling for the left-back slot, Sessegnon also offers the flexibility to play further up the left flank, as he showed by scoring 16 times during Fulham's run to promotion last season, via the play-offs.
Sessegnon has also had significant game-time compared to other young stars, making 48 starts in the Championship last season (including play-off games), while he has started five of Fulham's seven matches back in the Premier League.
Another player to have impressed previously in England's youth level, having finished joint-top scorer and named in the team of the tournament during the U19s Euros win last year, Sessegnon's promotion to the senior squad is surely only a matter of time.
Harry Winks, 22, Tottenham
Harry Winks could well have established himself in Southgate's plans by now if it hadn't been for a long-term ankle injury which kept him sidelined for much of last season. The Tottenham midfielder made his England debut in October of last year, in the final World Cup qualifier with Lithuania, and picked up the man-of-the-match prize.
A little over a week later he was starring for Spurs against Real Madrid in the Champions League and then helped his club to a 4-1 win over Liverpool before the month was out. Unfortunately, an ankle problem ended his season in February and he had to watch from home as England reached the World Cup semi-finals.
Winks is back and returning to full fitness now, though, and Southgate could take the chance to return him to the England fold. He offers the accurate and ambitious passing Southgate is looking for in central midfield and would be an asset if the England boss is eager to retain possession against Croatia and Spain.
Also pushing for inclusion
The good news for England is that there are plenty of other young players also on the fringes of the senior set-up. Leicester pair Demarai Gray and Ben Chilwell were called up for the friendly with Switzerland last month, with the latter making his debut at the King Power Stadium, while Bournemouth's Lewis Cook and Everton duo Tom Davies and Dominic Calvert-Lewin continue to get plenty of Premier League game time.
There have also been loud calls for Phil Foden to be given a chance. The exciting Manchester City attacker starred in his side's Community Shield win over Chelsea and scored his first goal for his boyhood club in the Carabao Cup win over Oxford.
But Southgate has previously expressed his concerns about the amount of Premier League minutes the 18-year-old has had - and with his three substitute appearances totalling 31 minutes in the competition this season, he may have to wait a little longer for his chance.
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