Gareth Southgate is on the lookout for “one or two” uncapped stars to make an impact on his World Cup squad - but the England manager is keen to stick to his experienced mainstays.
Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi will join the Three Lions camp for friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast this month, after beating the likes of Trevoh Chalobah and Max Kilman to a call-up.
It meant Harry Maguire kept his place in a squad which Southgate is seeking continuity for, as the clocks ticks on the boss naming his players for Qatar.
“We will always have an open eye to players that are playing well and players that could force their way into a squad, that's happened always leading into major tournaments before we were in charge and now,” he said after naming his squad.
“Obviously what you don't have the closer it gets is the chance to play and gain experience in really big matches.
“But realistically, you're not going to want to put seven or eight new players into a squad and expect them to win a World Cup.
“So you're looking at your more experienced players as being the core of that and maybe some younger ones that have already got experiences with us can form part of that team, and maybe one or two who haven't had a cap yet can still break their way in.
“But there's a reality around what is required to win and the sorts of big matches you need to be involved in to be able to excel in those environments.”
