Gareth Southgate under scrutiny with tough decisions to make

With the rearranged European Championships only a matter of months away, Southgate is narrowing down his options leaving some on the outside looking in

Gareth Southgate and Trent Alexander-Arnold (Getty Images)

In a tournament year, any England squad takes on an added layer of importance.

With the rearranged European Championships only a matter of months away, Gareth Southgate's selection for the upcoming international break sheds as much light on his thinking ahead of the summer as it does the start of the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Indeed, the three matches against San Marino, Albania and Poland over the next fortnight will be as influential in shaping the complexion of the squad for this summer's tournament as they will for whether the team will be in Qatar next year or not.