Southgate: Maguire & Phillips will play for England because they lack depth
England will have Euro 2024 qualification within their grasp if they make it five wins out of five against Ukraine in the Polish city of Wroclaw on Saturday night.
Ever since Gareth Southgate's men ground out a 2-1 win away to Italy in Naples back in March, they have been in total control of qualifying Group C.
Their June double-header saw them turn on the style and rack up the goals as Malta were thrashed 4-0 and North Macedonia demolished 7-0.
At the mid-point in qualifying, England can look forward to next year's tournament in Germany with confidence.
But the perennial issue is whether the Three Lions boast enough squad depth to go all the way and lift the major trophy that has eluded generations of England teams since 1966.
Southgate's latest squad left out Raheem Sterling, an England stalwart for many years now, in a possible indication of an embarrassment of riches in wide attacking areas.
Even when Manchester City star Jack Grealish was forced to withdraw from the squad with a thigh injury, there was no urgency to recall Sterling in his place.
This current group has convened without the injured Tyrone Mings, John Stones and Luke Shaw, while Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold, listed as one of England's midfield selections, also had to withdraw.
Also absent are the likes of Reece James, Eric Dier, Conor Coady, Mason Mount and James Ward-Prowse - all regular picks in recent years.
Yet England's squad to face Ukraine and then Scotland in a friendly next Tuesday still looks plenty strong enough on paper.
Scratch beneath the surface, however, and Southgate may face problems in the lack of game time Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips will receive this season, with favoured options ahead of them at their clubs.
Likewise, there
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