Southgate’s squad analysed

Gareth Southgate has named his first England squad – but what do his selections say about his approach to the caretaker role?

The former England U21 boss has been put in charge of the country’s final four matches of 2016 – including the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia – following Sam Allardyce’s departure from the permanent role.

Here, we take a look at what his 23-man squad tells us…

Rashford returns to the seniors

Gareth Southgate saw first-hand what Marcus Rashford can do when the Manchester United striker scored a hat-trick on his England U21 debut against Norway last month. At the time, Rashford’s demotion to the age-group side was explained by his limited chances in the senior squad.

Three goals in five appearances for Manchester United and Harry Kane’s absence due to injury seems to have changed that.

So can we expect Rashford to start against Malta or Slovenia? He’s now a first-choice pick for Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford and Southgate will surely be tempted to unleash the 18-year-old.

Why not more U21s?

Jesse Lingard is another young gun now among the senior set-up. But why weren’t more U21s called up?

Southampton’s Nathan Redmond, for instance, has enjoyed an encouraging start to the season. With the U21s only needing a point against Kazakhstan to book a spot at Euro 2017 in Poland, Southgate must have been tempted.

However, former England caretaker boss Peter Taylor explained to Sky Sports that Southgate will know convincing victories in the …

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