Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has given his opinion on which Manchester United players should board the Three Lions plane to Qatar for the upcoming World Cup.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, the former England boss thinks Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw should be the most nervous about not making the cut.
Eriksson feels a lack of playing time at club level could lead to the defensive duo being dropped from Southgate’s final 26-man squad.
“I think it’s hard for Southgate to pick Maguire and Shaw because if they don’t play regularly it’s very hard to let them play for the national team because it’s one thing to train but another to have a regular routine of games. So that’s hard.”
Despite these concerns, it would be a huge shock if Maguire and Shaw were left out. Southgate has expressed his support for Maguire, despite his alarming form over the last 18 months. Luke Shaw also performed well in an England shirt during Southgate’s tenure and scored the opening goal in the European Championship final last summer.
There is more positive news for Marcus Rashford, who Eriksson believes can be forced onto the plane, given his recent resurgence under Erik Ten Hag.
“I think Rashford should be on the team.” Erikson says.
Rashford has been forced to miss the upcoming Nations League games due to injury, which are his last before the World Cup opener in November. This doesn’t make it any clearer for us to learn of Southgate’s plans for the in-form striker.
Eriksson also gave hope to Jadon Sancho, whose selection chances suffered a severe setback when he was left out of the last squad, despite starting the season well with United.
“I think some of the players who are not picked still have a chance to be picked when he picks the World Cup team.” Erikson added.
On a personal note, all the players will be desperate to be on the plane, but the month-long break for the absentees will be music to the ears of the club’s managers, including Ten Hag.
The United manager will expect good health when the players return from Qatar, given the tight post-tournament schedule ahead of them.
