- Watkins and Bowen in, Sterling out.
- Stones returns from injury.
- Southgate skeptical of VAR.
Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen have earned recalls to the England squad due to their impressive club form. However, Gareth Southgate has omitted Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount from the squad.
The England boss has named John Stones for a friendly against Australia on Friday and a Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy on 17 October. Stones has been sidelined since the Community Shield on 6 August owing to a hip injury. The defender returned to the bench for Manchester City’s recent victory over RB Leipzig.
Injuries to forward Callum Wilson and playmaker Eberechi Eze have created openings for Watkins and Bowen in the squad. Watkins scored a hat-trick for Aston Villa against Brighton on Saturday, which Southgate saw. Bowen has also been in fine form, notching up five goals this season, including one against Liverpool and Sheffield United in his last two matches.
Mason Mount is a regular starter for Southgate when healthy, although he just returned from an injury. Southgate mentioned that Arsenal’s forward Bukayo Saka is still under evaluation ahead of Sunday’s match against Manchester City, with his inclusion in the squad uncertain due to injury.
“Don’t miss out! Grab your free shares of Webull UK today!”
With Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw sidelined due to injuries, the England team is lacking an established left-back. Kieran Trippier and Levi Colwill are potential alternatives.
Speaking about Watkins, Southgate remarked, “Recent performance is not the sole factor in selection, but he is in excellent form and on a roll. He’s a key component of our squad because we know his personality and character.”
Southgate revealed that he did not have a conversation with Sterling before naming the squad, as he had done in the past. “We have been pleased with the performances of our wide players. Especially in the last four games and the two in March,” he said. “The team is performing exceptionally well, so there is evident stability in these positions. These assaulting zones include Jarrod Bowen. He has scored five goals in seven games, performing exceptionally well, and has the opportunity to further develop in the Australia match.”
Regarding FIFA’s recent announcement that the 2030 World Cup will be hosted across three continents and six countries, Southgate expressed uncertainty and humorously added, “I’m not quite sure what they had in mind. If that’s the plan, I’d welcome an invitation to Buenos Aires as a television analyst.”
Southgate opposed VAR again, especially after Tottenham had a goal wrongly disallowed against Liverpool. We’re still not sure if Jesse Lingard’s goal, which knocked us out of a semi-final, was valid or not,” he said, referring to Lingard’s goal against the Netherlands in a 2019 Nations League semi-final that was controversially disallowed. “I believe we should accept the decisions of referees, but I’m also aware that we’re unlikely to return to a world without technology as part of the decision-making process. It was never going to solve every problem, and I don’t believe there’s a perfect solution.”
