5 players who could break into the England squad this week

#4: Ryan Sessegnon

Teenager Ryan Sessegnon could be ready for an England debut

Recent press reports have suggested that Southgate is ready to blood a number of youngsters in the upcoming England games, namely the teenage trio of Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden and Ryan Sessegnon. Realistically though, call-ups might be considered too soon for the former two players. Sancho is just finding his feet at Borussia Dortmund – although he’s performed tremendously thus far – while Foden is still way down the pecking order at Manchester City.

Fulham youngster Sessegnon though is another story. While Sancho and Foden only have a handful of senior games between them, Sessegnon is coming off a full season in the Championship – one of the world’s toughest leagues in a physical sense – and he was Fulham’s most outstanding player in a season that saw them gain promotion, scoring 16 goals and making 8 assists.

It’s true that he hasn’t started life in the Premier League quite so explosively – he was solid if unspectacular against Crystal Palace and Tottenham, and was then left out of the starting line-up for last weekend’s game against Burnley – missing a chance to impress the attending Southgate in the process – but again, left-back is a wide open position for England right now and Sessegnon has already shown maturity beyond his 18 years.

Is it too soon for him to face off against Spain in the Nations League? Quite possibly, but to throw him a bone by including him in the squad and playing him in the friendly against Switzerland sounds just like something Southgate would do. Sessegnon clearly has a lot to learn, but he’s also clearly wildly talented and England finally have a manager who’s more willing to roll the dice on youth. By the time the next international break comes, Sessegnon could be a guarantee in the squad.