Gareth Southgate has left Manchester United pair Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford out of the England squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League double-header against Italy and Germany. The Three Lions are bottom of their group but can still mathematically qualify for the final if other results go their way.
Injury to Jordan Pickford, Southgate’s preferred goalkeeper, means that one of Dean Henderson, Nick Pope, or Aaron Ramsdale will get to keep the goal in the upcoming games.
In defence, the Englishman has called upon Tottenham’s Eric Dier, who returns to the senior England set-up after a prolonged absence – his last appearance came two years ago in 2020. Manchester United pair Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw have been included in the squad, despite club manager Erik ten Hag choosing to play without the duo in recent games.
A familiar quintet of Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips, and James Ward-Prowse makes up the midfield. Up front, there is a maiden call-up for Brentford front-man Ivan Toney. Tammy Abraham and Jarrod Bowen retain their spots on the shortlist but Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford miss out.
France, no longer in a place to qualify for the final of this edition of the Nations League, have also named their squad for the upcoming internationals – albeit with three spots left unused.
Didier Deschamps has looked upon his reliable trio of Hugo Lloris, Mike Maignan, and Alphonse Areola in the goalkeeping department. In defence, there is a first call-up for AS Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile, who joins other stalwarts such as Raphael Varane and Jules Kounde on the list.
Deschamps has also named Badiashile’s Monaco teammate Youssouf Fofana in the senior French squad for the first time, while there is a return to the 23-man shortlist for Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga.
In attack, Karim Benzema’s injury means Olivier Giroud is back in the squad – the veteran is three goals away from matching Thierry Henry’s record for most international goals for the national side. The AC Milan striker is joined in the squad by Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani, the forward with his maiden call-up for Les Bleus.
