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Later this month will see the first international break of 2019, as the qualifying matches for Euro 2020 will begin across Europe. And after a successful World Cup and UEFA Nations League campaign in 2018, Gareth Southgate’s England will be looking to keep their momentum going by beating the Czech Republic and Montenegro.
With a handful of England’s World Cup heroes now retired from international football (Jamie Vardy, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young) or injured (Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard), the upcoming fixtures might be the perfect opportunity for Southgate to test out some new blood – blood which could come in the form of uncapped youngsters or in players who have previously appeared for the Three Lions, albeit not for some time.
Here are 10 players who could be looking at an England call-up later in the month.
#1 Declan Rice
In a somewhat controversial call, West Ham midfielder Declan Rice recently announced that despite receiving 3 caps in friendly games for the Republic of Ireland, he’d be pledging his international future to England. FIFA have now approved the switch, and so it now seems likely that Rice will find his way into Southgate’s squad for the games against the Czech Republic and Montenegro this month.
It’s understandable why Southgate would want to call him up, too. The 20-year old has been in fantastic form for West Ham this season, appearing in 26 Premier League goals thus far and scoring 2 goals. The holding midfield position has been an issue for the Three Lions for some time – neither Eric Dier nor Jordan Henderson have quite tied the spot down yet – and so Rice could well solve the problem, as his blend of tough tackles, slick passing and general control in the middle has helped his side defeat the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United this season.
Quite how popular Rice’s move will prove to be, only time will tell – but given England lost Wilfried Zaha to the Ivory Coast under similar circumstances a few years ago, the likelihood is that fans of the Three Lions will welcome the switch – particularly if Rice performs well for Southgate’s side.
#2 James Ward-Prowse
A mainstay of England’s U21 side under the reign of Southgate, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse is also no stranger to the England senior side, as he received his first cap in the March 2017 friendly game against Germany. Since then, the creative midfielder hasn’t been called back up, but that could all change this month.
Ward-Prowse has been in tremendous form for Southampton in recent weeks, particularly since new boss Ralph Hassenhutl took the reins at St. Mary’s. He’s scored 5 goals in his last 8 Premier League games, including an incredible free-kick against Manchester United, and appears to finally be living up to the great potential he showed a few years ago.
Southgate already knows what Ward-Prowse offers due to his familiarity with the player from the U21’s, and more to the point, the Saints youngster would provide England with a dead-ball specialist – something they’ve been lacking for arguably a decade now since the retirement of David Beckham. To see him return to the England squad now would not be a shock at all.
#3 Conor Coady
The rise of Wolves up the Premier League table has been one of the most fascinating things to watch this season and while the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Raul Jiminez have received plenty of plaudits, the success of Nuno’s side has also been built on a strong defence. That’s why centre-back Conor Coady could well be in for his first England call-up this month.
Still relatively young at 26 years old, Coady thoroughly fits the bill as the kind of centre-back that Southgate loves. Not only are his defensive stats excellent – 17 blocks, 23 interceptions, 25 tackles and 101 clearances – but his pass success rate stands at 84.6%, which puts him above England mainstay Harry Maguire (84.1%) and well above recent England call-up James Tarkowski (68.6%).
A product of Liverpool’s academy, Coady making the England squad would be another example of a player who’s managed to reach the top level after leaving a big club as a youngster. Simply put, he’d be a classic Gareth Southgate call-up, and if he is included in the squad it’d be a just reward for his form this season.
#4 James Maddison
Leicester’s creative midfielder James Maddison was first called into the England squad for their October 2018 UEFA Nations League games against Croatia and Spain, but wasn’t used in either game and by the time the next international break came around, he was sidelined with injury. But the 22-year old has remained on good form throughout the season and it seems like a no-brainer that he’ll be included this time around.
With 5 goals and 5 assists in 27 appearances this season – as well as an excellent average rating of 7.14 on WhoScored.com – Maddison is clearly one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League, and while he’s still rough around the edges, an assist in a Man of the Match-level performance in Leicester’s recent win over Brighton was a timely reminder of his huge talents.
Creative midfield has long been a problem position for England and with both Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard sidelined – and Ross Barkley not really on form right now – these upcoming games could be Maddison’s time to shine. If his incredible goal against Watford earlier in the season is any indication, he could offer a lot for Southgate going forward.
#5 Michael Keane
Once considered a decent bet for a spot in England’s 2018 World Cup squad, Michael Keane’s form largely fell apart following his move to Everton in the summer of 2017 and he fell miles out of the pecking order despite performing excellently in his first handful of England games, particularly the match against Germany in March 2017.
This season has seen a return to form for Keane though, as despite Everton not quite performing as well under Marco Silva as Toffees fans could’ve hoped, the former Manchester United defender has been mostly excellent, keeping a high passing success rate of 79.8% while also scoring highly in defensive statistics too.
Keane’s resurgence saw him return to Southgate’s squad back in November – where he played in the friendly game against the USA – and with Joe Gomez injured and James Tarkowski not on the best form as of late, to see the Everton defender make at least one appearance in the upcoming pair of games wouldn’t be a surprise.
#6 Tammy Abraham
One thing that Gareth Southgate hasn’t shied away from as England boss is a willingness to select players who ply their trade at less than fashionable clubs – which means that despite playing in the Championship for Aston Villa, there’s a chance that Tammy Abraham’s tremendous goalscoring form could earn him a recall for England this month.
Abraham – who is on loan at Villa from Chelsea – was first called up to the England senior squad back in November 2017 for the games against Germany and Brazil, and while he struggled in 2017/18 in a poor Swansea side, he’s been a revelation this season for the Villains, scoring an incredible 21 goals in 29 games and rocketing up the list of the Championship’s top goalscorers.
With Jamie Vardy retired from international football and Callum Wilson having been on the shelf with a knee injury, this month seems like the perfect time for Abraham to return to the England fold. He’s on form, he’s young and clearly talented, and Southgate definitely needs a backup striker in case Harry Kane is ruled out. Abraham could definitely fit the bill.
#7 Callum Hudson-Odoi
Ever since taking the reins for the Three Lions in late 2016, one of Gareth Southgate’s hallmarks has been to put his trust in youth; young players like Jordan Pickford, Marcus Rashford and Dele Alli have become key men for England while even younger talent like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jadon Sancho have also been brought into the fold.
That’s why it’d be no surprise if Southgate were to call up Chelsea tyro Callum Hudson-Odoi for the upcoming matches with the Czech Republic and Montenegro. Sure, Hudson-Odoi – a World Cup winner with England’s U17s in 2017 – hasn’t picked up that many minutes in the Premier League yet, but in his appearances for the Blues in the cup competitions and in the Europa League, he’s been fantastic, notably helping Chelsea to destroy Malmo in February.
Hudson-Odoi might be inexperienced at the top level, but he’s clearly got game-changing talent – and the fearless nature to use it against any kind of opposition. Southgate has already proven he’s willing to pick inexperienced players – Dominic Solanke was capped with just a handful of senior games in November 2017 – and so to call up Hudson-Odoi would be a risk, but a smart one too.
#8 Nathan Redmond
Like his Southampton teammate James Ward-Prowse, Nathan Redmond has already been capped by the England senior side, back in March 2017 in the friendly game with Germany. Unfortunately for Redmond, he then lost his form entirely following his crucial penalty miss for England’s U21 side in the European Championship semi-finals that summer, and it’s taken him a long time to get back on track.
Thankfully, Redmond now appears to be firmly back on form – another player who’s been influenced in the best possible way by the arrival of Ralph Hassenhutl at Southampton. Redmond has made 29 appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring 3 goals and making 2 assists, and most recently he put in a Man of the Match-level performance in the Saints’ 1-1 draw with Burnley.
England appear to have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to wide forwards right now, with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi all aiming for a spot in Southgate’s side, but the age and experience of Redmond – he’s 25 and has 8 full senior seasons under his belt – could mean Southgate calls him up for this upcoming squad and hands him his next cap.
#9 Aaron Wan-Bissaka
While England are undoubtedly blessed with talent in the right-back position right now – Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all performed wonderfully in the berth recently – Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka has arguably been on better form than any of them this season, and he’s more than earned a maiden call-up to the senior squad.
At 21 years old, Wan-Bissaka forced his way into Palace’s first team last season and he hasn’t looked back since, as he’s made 26 appearances this season, making 2 assists and claiming 2 Man of the Match awards from WhoScored.com. The attacking full-back has an average rating of 7.27 – which is actually higher than that of Trippier, Walker and Alexander-Arnold right now.
Palace boss – and former England manager – Roy Hodgson has already suggested that Wan-Bissaka could be an international star in the making, and it’d be surprising if Southgate were to disagree with him. While it might feel a little too soon for the youngster given the existence of Walker, Trippier and Alexander-Arnold, to see him called up this month would be a fair reward for his good form.
#10 Morgan Gibbs-White
While fellow England youngsters like Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Phil Foden have gained plaudits for their performances in 2018/19, Wolves attacker Morgan Gibbs-White – who won the U17 World Cup alongside Foden and Hudson-Odoi in 2017 – has largely flown under the radar, despite making some excellent cameo appearances under boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
While Gibbs-White hasn’t made that many Premier League starts just yet – just 4 – he has made 16 appearances from the bench and has 541 minutes under his belt. He’s also shown flashes of absolute brilliance, most memorably against Chelsea in December, when he put a tremendous performance in and contributed an assist in a 2-1 victory.
Southgate calling Gibbs-White up to the upcoming England senior squad would be both a surprise and a risk – he’s very inexperienced at the top level – but it’d also show a real faith in the talent of his younger players, and it’d definitely reward the youngster for his performances for Wolves this season. If he doesn’t get the call-up now, expect it to happen sometime in the near future – he’s too good not to make it to the top.
