Rashford and Sancho not selected for England squad

Marcus Rashford

and

Jadon Sancho

have not been chosen to be part of

Gareth Southgate

’s squad as they struggle for form at

but

’s

Marc Guehi

has received his first senior call up.

England are getting ready for their friendly against Switzerland on March 26 as well as a battle against Ivory Coast three days later.

Southgate’s selection includes a lot of familiar faces and the ones included are keen on impressing themselves as the World Cup 2022 countdown continues.

Goalkeepers: 

Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale

Defenders: 

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White

Midfielders: 

Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse

Forwards:

 Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling

Notwithstanding returning just recently from injury, Reece James, the Chelsea defender, has been called by Southgate, while Emile Smith Row, the Arsenal playmaker, is selected once again despite struggle for regular starts.

Ben White makes the cut but Kyle Walker, the experienced Manchester City right-back, is left out.

James Ward-Prowse, the Southampton midfielder is called up again and Tammy Abraham’s rich vein of form is recognized.

Harry Maguire is selected notwithstanding a lot of questions being raised regarding his contribution at Manchester United, whereas Ben Chilwell and Kieran Trippier are out due to injuries.

On his decision to not pick Jadon Sancho, Southgate said:

"Because the other attacking players in the squad are slightly ahead of him at the moment. You can see the names – Foden, Sterling, Saka, Smith-Rowe, Grealish. If you look at the seasons, they've had...

"Jadon, over the last few weeks his performances have without doubt improved at Manchester United but it's an area of the field where we've got really big competition for places and at the moment, we've got those guys slightly ahead."

Regarding Rashford being left out, Southgate added:

"He's in the same position as everybody else. Whether they're in the squad or not in the squad, they've all got to play well over the end of this season and particularly the beginning of next season.

"It's a difficult time for him, he's clearly not at his best. We know a lot about Marcus anyway and what he can bring to us. And hopefully he rediscovers that form that we know he's capable of."

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