5 biggest talking points from Gareth Southgate's latest England squad
England manager Gareth Southgate has named a 24-man squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Iceland and Denmark. Southgate, whose national sides tend not to vary too much, has shaken things up a little and introduced a number of new faces to the England setup this time.
Apart from some interesting inclusions, there are also a number of exclusions that will have people talking.
Here we will dive into 5 of the biggest talking points from Southgate's most recent England squad. First, here, are the players that made the cut:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eric Dier, Joe Gomez, Michael Keane, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Keiran Trippier, Kyle Walker
Midfielders: Phil Foden, Mason Greenwood, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Marcus Rashford, Declan Rice, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, James Ward-Prowse, Harry Winks
Strikers: Tammy Abraham, Danny Ings, Harry Kane
#5 Ings over Wilson
Few will complain about this change given the scintillating form Danny Ings displayed throughout last season's Premier league campaign where he went from scoring 7 goals in 2019/20 to 22 in 2019/20.
Callum Wilson's scoring output, on the other hand, dropped from 14 in 2018/19 to 7 in 2019/20 and saw his club team Bournemouth get relegated to the Championship.
While all the statistics point to this being a completely logical switch in personnel, it does seem noteworthy given Southgate's previous loyalty to Wilson, who has been a mainstay in his previous England squads.
Ings is a form player and his inclusion along with the likes of Henderson, Foden, Greenwood and Phillips, could hint at a change in philosophy in terms of Southgate's England squad selection.
All of these players finished the end of the season in strong runs of form and the fact Southgate has chosen to include them in his England side over a number of regulars he has tended to call up in the past, does seem like a change. Perhaps Southgate will now rotate his England players more and continue to pick whoever's form is best moving forward.
Picking form players versus sticking with a regular England squad has been a long standing talking point surrounding England managers and this potential shift in stance from Southgate should not be overlooked.
#4 Harry Maguire's inclusion
Harry Maguire was thrust into the limelight following his big-money transfer from Leicester City to Manchester United prior to the start of last season. Maguire immediately became a permanent fixture in an improving United side and worked his way to becoming captain by the end of the season.
That's not to say it was all smooth sailing as United often seemed frail in defense and a number of rival fans being quick to label Maguire as a flop. While Maguire has been a talking point all season, his inclusion now is particularly interesting.
Maguire was arrested in Greece prior to the England squad announcement and has since been found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and bribery.
While the details of what went on in the incident are still unclear, one can only assume Southgate and the England setup were not anticipating this outcome when they named him in the New England squad. Moreover, his inclusion makes you wonder just how aware the England staff were of the incident all together.
While it remains to be seen just what the repercussions of the incident will be, his name will certainly continue to be a talking point until the full details are understood.