sport news Gareth Southgate's dilemmas as he names last England squad before the World Cup  trends now

Gareth Southgate names his England squad on Thursday afternoon - the last one before he must decide which players to take to the World Cup in Qatar.

The upcoming UEFA Nations League double-header against Italy in Milan next Friday and Germany at Wembley the following Monday are significant for various reasons.

Firstly, England could suffer the ignominy of relegation into League B of the competition if they don't get some positive results in these final two games of the group.

But more importantly, this squad will offer up plenty of clues as to who will be making the plane to the Middle-East in late November.

These two games are the final chance for Southgate to fine tune his team before the World Cup opener against Iran in Al Rayyan on November 21.

We examine the big decisions the Three Lions boss will make as he names his latest squad.

Should Rashford be risked?

Marcus Rashford deserves to be in this England squad. The Manchester United striker looks revitalised this season and is starting to return to some of his best form following a troubled 2021-22 campaign.

He has scored three goals and contributed two assists in six games so far this season, with new United manager Erik Ten Hag restoring him to the centre forward role he clearly favours.

But Rashford is struggling with a muscle injury, which has thrown his return to the England squad - for the first time since last year - into jeopardy.

He will undergo a late fitness test but it's likely he will be ruled out of these two games. He did not travel to Moldova with United as they prepare to play Sheriff in the Europa League on Thursday night.

However, if Rashford continues his fine start to the season and continues his scoring form, he should absolutely be in the World Cup squad.

Southgate will not hold a press conference on Thursday out of respect to the Queen but at some point during the build-up to the games he should give his backing to Rashford.

Is it time to bring back Sancho?

Jadon Sancho also lost his England place amid the turmoil at United last season. He hasn't featured for the national team since last October's World Cup qualifier against Andorra and wasn't picked for the last three squads.

But he too has been given a fresh lease of life under Ten Hag, scoring for United in their wins over Liverpool and Leicester, while providing the kind of attacking threat expected of him after that £73million move from Dortmund.

This feels like a crucial moment in Sancho's international career. If Southgate doesn't select him for this squad, his World Cup chances are probably over unless he embarks on a sensational run of form in the meantime.

That's not really through any fault of his own - England are blessed with plenty of excellent wide attackers, such as Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish, plus Rashford of course.

Sancho has been a regular in the England squad for some time without starting every single game and it's hard to nail down a spot with such intense competition. It feels make or break now.

Does Southgate remain loyal to Maguire and Shaw?

While the Man United attackers have given Southgate a pleasant dilemma, their defenders are a cause for concern.

Ten Hag dropped both Harry Maguire

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