Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been told he remains in the plans of England boss Gareth Southgate.
Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn't started a game for more than a year after suffering a serious knee injury 13 months ago against Roma in the Champions League semi-final.
The 25-year-old made his long-awaited return to action on April 26 with a 17-minute run-out as a substitute in the 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town, and featured for the last two minutes of the Premier League finale against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield last Sunday.
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A lack of match action meant Oxlade-Chamberlain was missing from the England squad for next month's UEFA Nations League final stages in Portugal.
But despite the Reds midfielder having not featured for his country since March 2018, Southgate is adamant he has a role to play for Three Lions.
“I think when you are recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, you need a period of time to get into more starts, more 90 minutes under his belt and it’s an important thing for him that he’s managed to get some minutes at Liverpool,” said the England boss.
“But I think a good pre-season... because what’s happened with him, a couple of minor hamstring injuries, is classic when you’ve been out with a long-term injury.
"We shouldn’t be risking him in our games at this stage of his recovery from a serious injury.
"But he’s very much in our thoughts for next season.”
