England manager Gareth Southgate says 'one or two' players have not warranted place in his squad
Injuries have forced Southgate to pick players whose performance have not merited selection
Gareth Southgate has admitted that he is not entirely happy with his squad for England’s final World Cup qualifying games as injuries forced him to select players who have not fully merited a place.
The England manager named his 26-man squad at St George’s Park on Thursday but was unable to call upon long-term absentees like Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose or Liverpool’s Adam Lallana.
Southgate also omitted Jamie Vardy, who he expects will play for Leicester City this weekend, as the striker requires medical treatment and a period of rest for a hip problem.
“It's frustrating because the biggest story here is we've got about 12 players missing with injury,” the England manager said.
“If you were to say: 'Am I entirely happy with the squad I've named?' then no, because we've got too many good players missing with injury.
“The consequence of that is you could well argue there are one or two in the squad who haven't necessarily warranted it on their performances.”
Southgate stopped short of naming the players who he felt had not earned their call-ups, but challenged every member of his squad to prove they deserve their place during October’s qualifiers against Slovenia and Lithuania.
“I want competition for places and this time maybe we've not be able to achieve that because of the number of injuries,” he said. “The reality is what I don't want players to be comfortable.
“There's a good challenge for those in next week because if they want to stay in the level has to be in. There's been a couple of easy decisions because I haven't had to make phone calls this week. They are always difficult but I'd rather be making them.”
On Vardy, Southgate denied that the national team had acquiesced to Leicester by allowing him to stay with his club during the international break rather than join up with England.
“It could look like that but, in the end, the most important conversation for me is with the player. From the conversation I've had with him I know how much he wants to play, how much pain he's in,” he said.
“You get a feel for where it needs to head. He'd run through brick walls for us, no question, and his mentality is top drawer. Whatever the perception it's not the reality.”