Gareth Southgate Discusses the Exclusion of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho from the England squad.
Gareth Southgate Discusses the Exclusion of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho from the England squad.
Gareth Southgate has left Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho out of his England team for this month’s friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast at Wembley.
Rashford and Sancho were left off the 25-man squad for the upcoming friendly against Switzerland and Ivory Coast. Kyle Walker of Manchester City was also left out of the team, while U21 captain Marc Guehi earned his first senior call-up.
“In our perspective, there are other attacking players in our side who are better than him,” Southgate said when questioned about Sancho.
“Jadon’s performances have improved in recent weeks, but it is an area of the pitch where we have competition for spots,” Southgate explained.
Southgate said the following about Rashford: “Marcus is in the same boat as the rest of the group; whether they are in the squad or not, they all have to perform well in the upcoming period. This is a difficult time for him, as he is clearly not at his best. There is still plenty of time; we know Marcus and what he is capable of bringing to us.”
England will attempt to break a 56-year wait for a major prize at this year’s World Cup. The Three Lions were defeated by Italy on penalties in last summer’s Euro 2020 final, and only 18 players of Southgate’s side for that tournament have made the current list.
Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope has been selected ahead of West Brom’s Sam Johnstone, while Ben Chilwell and Kalvin Phillips have been ruled out through injury.
Emile Smith Rowe and Conor Gallagher continue to be included in the squad. “With Marc, he’s had an incredibly consistent season; I’ve been extremely impressed both on and off the ball,” Southgate said of Guehi.
“He has been extremely composed in the big games; we know a lot about him from his younger teams. There are several center halves that are vying for a starting position, but we have chosen Marc and Ben White.”
England will host Switzerland at Wembley on March 26, followed by Ivory Coast three days later. The Three Lions have not played against the latter side at senior level and have not faced a non-European team since November 2018.
This month’s international break will be the season’s final one and the first since England thrashed San Marino 10-0 and Albania 5-0 in November. In June, Southgate’s side will face Hungary, Germany, Italy, and Hungary once more in the Nations League.
This year’s World Cup will be contested in Qatar and will begin on November 21 and conclude on December 18. The draw will take place in Doha, Qatar on April 1.