England squad: Would you select Harry Maguire, Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips to face Australia and Italy?
Gareth Southgate selected Jordan Henderson, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips in previous squad; Eddie Nketiah and Levi Colwill received first senior call-ups; Raheem Sterling, Nick Pope and James Ward-Prowse were omitted; Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins were also overlooked
Thursday 5 October 2023 14:45, UK
Gareth Southgate will name his squad to face Australia and Italy on Thursday - but which players would you select?
The Three Lions face Australia in a friendly at Wembley on October 13 before hosting Italy four days later in a Euro 2024 qualifier.
Southgate selected Harry Maguire in his most recent squad to face Ukraine and Scotland last month - despite the centre-back failing to start a league game for Manchester United this season - and hit back at critics after the defender scored an unfortunate own goal against the Scots.
The England boss also stuck with Jordan Henderson after the 33-year-old completed a transfer from Liverpool to Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq and handed debut senior call-ups to Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and Chelsea defender Levi Colwill.
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Numerous players with limited international experience have staked claims for inclusion after being overlooked in September, including the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Ollie Watkins and James Ward-Prowse.
England favourite Raheem Sterling was also omitted last month, with Southgate revealing the Chelsea forward was not "particularly happy about it". Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope also lost his place with Crystal Palace stopper Sam Johnstone getting the nod with regulars Jordan Pickford and Aaron Ramsdale.
Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw are sidelined with injuries, while there are fitness doubts over Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka - with the latter limping off during the Gunners' 2-1 defeat to Lens on Tuesday.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is fit again for selection after being listed in the previous squad as a midfielder before withdrawing through injury, while Manchester City centre-back and England regular John Stones has also returned to training.
So, what would your England squad look like? Use our interactive selector to pick your squad and share on X - formerly Twitter - @SkyFootball.
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What do the stats say?
What should the England starting XI look like, based purely on form this season?
Well, the team would look very different to Southgate's usual line-ups, according to the Sky Sports Power Rankings - a system which awards points to players for 35 matchday stats. In fact, almost half of the XI are players rarely used by Southgate during his tenure.
Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham - who both completed big-money moves to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, respectively, this summer are the first names on the teamsheet.
Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) and Kyle Walker (Manchester City) occupy the full-back positions, with Ben White (Arsenal) and James Tarkowski (Everton) claiming the centre-back positions.
James Maddison starts after an explosive start for Tottenham following his £40m move from Leicester this summer, with Bellingham and West Ham midfielder Ward-Prowse completing the midfield trio.
England are arguably swamped with options down the attacking flanks, but Bowen ousts all competition down the right channel, while Saka is on the left. Kane starts up top with Watkins in reserve.
