Gareth Southgate will select his England squad for their two Nations League matches later this month on Thursday.
The Three Lions travel to Italy on September 23, before hosting Germany at Wembley three days later in their final competitive game before the tournament gets underway in November. Southgate's side will be looking to bounce back from their humbling 4-0 defeat against Hungary in June after dropping points in all their first four Nations League games.
This is the last chance for the players to show Southgate why they should be in the squad for the World Cup later this year, with the 52-year-old set to cement his thoughts following the international break. There could be a couple of wildcard selections, with one or two impressing so far this season and the latest set of games provide a final opportunity for Southgate to get a glimpse of some fresh faces.
So, with that in mind, here are five wildcard picks who could be included after impressive starts to the season.
Max Kilman
The 25-year-old has impressed Southgate following an excellent breakout season at Wolves and he could force his way into the England squad given the state of the current centre-backs. Harry Maguire hasn't played much first-team football since losing his place to Raphael Varane in the Manchester United team, while John Stones has suffered with injuries and has been in and out the Manchester City side this season.
Kilman was a mainstay in the Wolves side last term before suffering a minor injury at the end of the season. He has since started in all of Wolves' six Premier League matches so far, with Bruno Lage's side posing one of the best defensive records. He is an aggressive operator, but cool under pressure which makes him a dark horse for the squad.
"He's had a good season with Wolves," Southgate said of Kilman back in March. "There are a lot of good defenders around - Fikayo (Tomori) would be another one we've been tracking closely. We do our due diligence and know the attributes that are needed for the balance of the team."
Adam Webster
Another centre-back, Webster is putting up a strong case to be included for similar reasons to Kilman. Webster has been superb in Brighton's excellent start to the campaign, with the Seagulls keeping three clean sheets in the meantime and conceding just five goals in six matches.
The former Bristol City man is comfortable in a back-three or a back-four and can also operate at right-back if needed. His versatility could prove to be imperative given England's centre-back issues, with Conor Coady and Tyrone Mings the only two centre-backs from the Euro's squad playing regularly.
Harvey Elliott
It has been a promising start to the season for Harvey Elliott, who has been a mainstay in Liverpool's midfield alongside Fabinho and one of James Milner or Jordan Henderson. Injuries to Thiago and Naby Keita have made slightly easier for Elliott to get his chance, but nothing should be taken away from the 19-year-old, who has been excellent and has shown early signs of getting back to his best.
The England Under-21 international was in superb form this time last year before suffering a nasty ankle injury in a 3-0 win over Leeds United - an issue that kept him out for almost four months. But Elliott has seemed to kick-on this season after struggling for game-time at the end of last term. He has been tipped for his first senior England call-up and would give Southgate some added quality in the midfield.
James Maddison
Although Leicester City have started the season dreadfully, James Maddison has still been a shining light and is replicating the form he showed at the back end of last season. The 25-year-old was a surprise absentee from the England squad in the summer, after notching 17 goals and 12 assists in all competitions - the best record out of every Premier League midfielder last season.
Southgate said that Maddison wasn't included in that squad because he was "very happy with the players that have been with us", including Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Mason Mount. But the Coventry-born playmaker is surely in contention, having scored twice and provided three assists this season, while Mount and Grealish have been performing very under-par compared to Maddison.
Ivan Toney
This is surely a non-negotiable. Ivan Toney is currently the most in-form English forward at the moment, with the Brentford man currently on five goals and two assists from their opening six matches. It is a record bettered by just two Premier League players, with Erling Haaland topping the goalscoring charts with 10, while Alekandar Mitrovic has six.
With Harry Kane set to be Southgate's first-choice striker, he needs to decide who is his back-up with Tammy Abraham and Ollie Watkins both in contention for that slot. It is likely that Toney and Abraham are currently battling for that slot, with both players similar to Dominic Calvert-Lewin who played a superb role at the Euro's last summer.
