England squad announcement: 5 players Gareth Southgate should consider with Ivan Toney pushing for call-up

Gareth Southgate doesn’t give off the air of a gambling man but given England have suffered a trying year so far, perhaps he would be better to twist than stick.

The Nations League disaster might have faded into memory but the travails of key players like Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw remain very relevant. Form has deserted some of his regulars and no international squad can carry too many passengers.

So is it time to consider who might be this year’s late bolter for Qatar? On form, at least one of these players should be under consideration when England’s latest squad is named on Thursday.

Harvey Elliott

It’s not been easy to prospect for nuggets of gold in Liverpool’s distinctly ordinary start to the new season but the emergence of 19-year-old Elliott has offered reasons for positivity at Anfield.

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Bouncing back with brio from a serious injury, Elliott has been brimming with attacking intent in a Reds midfield that has looked otherwise one-paced. Possessing of the kind of fearlessness that might benefit England in Qatar, Elliott is the kind of player who can break the lines in tight games.

And with a group that includes Iran, the US and Wales, England might be confronted with counter-attacking plans that they need to contend with.

Matt Targett

Newcastle United's English defender Matt Targett (L) vies with Liverpool's Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah (R) during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Newcastle United at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on August 31, 2022. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Matt Targett could be an option if Southgate looks elsewhere with Shaw on the bench at Man Utd (Photo: AFP)

Luke Shaw’s rapid decline from Wembley goalscorer to Manchester United bit-part player leaves a left-back vacancy for Southgate to fill and, on form, Newcastle’s Targett has a compelling case for inclusion.

He lacks big name cache – to the extent that even some inside St James’ Park were open to recruiting a defender with more capacity to excite going forward – but his consistency in a team that is growing under Eddie Howe has helped grind down the critics.

Targett’s biggest asset is his reliability and if Southgate is picking understudies who are playing well, the Newcastle full-back deserves consideration.

2022 World Cup group stage draw

  • Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
  • Group B: England, Iran, USA, Wales
  • Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland
  • Group D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia
  • Group E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan
  • Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia
  • Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon
  • Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea

James Tarkowski

England’s passage to the Euro 2020 final came courtesy of a defence that ceded just one goal before the final and it’s safe to say Southgate will try to replicate that in Qatar. But his issue is that many of the bedrocks of that tournament have fallen steeply out of form.

If Maguire, Stones, Shaw and others are struggling, there are other English centre-backs who are playing well. Lewis Dunk at Brighton has caught the eye while Newcastle’s Dan Burn has been a rock. But James Tarkowski, playing alongside Connor Coady, has arguably been the best of the rest.

Soccer Football - Premier League - Everton v Liverpool - Goodison Park, Liverpool, Britain - September 3, 2022 Everton's James Tarkowski Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Southgate has plenty of centre-back options to choose from, including Everton’s James Tarkowski (Photo: Reuters)

The Everton centre-back already has two England caps to his name but his last was four years ago and he hasn’t been considered by Southgate since being named on the standby list for the 2018 World Cup. His renaissance at Goodison Park – where he moved in the summer as Everton looked for reliability and experience – should put him in contention.

His performances for Everton have been in sharp contrast to the marked decline of Maguire, hewn with authority.

2022 World Cup schedule

  • Group stage: 21 November – 2 December
  • Round-of-16: 3-6 December
  • Quarter-finals: 9-10 December
  • Semi-finals: 13-14 December
  • Third-place play-off: 17 December
  • Final: 18 December

Ivan Toney

Last year it was widely reported that Toney was considering pledging his international future to Jamaica. By Thursday he might just be thankful that he didn’t do anything hasty.

Toney has been portrayed as a traditional English No 9 but those who watch him regularly insist he has the technique and mentality to prosper on a bigger stage. With five goals in six Premier League games, he couldn’t have done much more to catch Southgate’s eye.

As Thomas Frank rightly pointed out, his penalty technique is as good as any striker in Europe. Given that England might well confront their penalty shoot-out nemesis in Qatar, it’s a useful option to have.

If he hadn’t suffered a calf injury, Callum Wilson – a sharp starter for Newcastle – might well have assembling a more robust case for inclusion. Leeds’ Joe Gelhardt’s time will come too.

Anthony Gordon

Is it time to believe the hype? The raised eyebrows when Chelsea were considering a £60m bid for Gordon were probably justified given his body of work before the season started.

But he has shouldered the pressure and then some so far this term. He’s added goals to his all-round play and is familiar with the England set-up as a regular in the under-21 squad.



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