Newcastle and Chelsea duo have right to be annoyed with Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate selects England squad
Newcastle star Anthony Gordon and Chelsea ace Raheem Sterling have the right to be annoyed with Gareth Southgate after the duo were once again snubbed by the England manager. Southgate has been forced to draft three new players into his Three Lions squad ahead of the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia due to withdrawals but has instead opted to select Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Ezri Konsa.
Gordon and Sterling were both overlooked when Southgate initially named his 25-man squad last week. Lewis Dunk, James Maddison and Callum Wilson have since pulled with injury issues following the latest round of Premier League fixtures at the weekend. But, still, Gordon and Sterling haven’t done enough to convince Southgate of their inclusion.
Gordon, who is yet to win an international cap at senior level, has been in scintillating form for Newcastle this season and has bagged four goals and two assists in 11 Premier League appearances. He has also featured four times in the Champions League after the Magpies returned to Europe’s top-tier club competition for the first time in two decades.
Sterling, meanwhile, has been a shining light in the Chelsea team and found the back of the net for the fifth time of the season on Sunday as the Blues played out an exhilarating 4-4 draw with Premier League champions Manchester City. The 28-year-old, who has won 82 caps for England, is starting to rediscover his best form after an underwhelming campaign last time out and had been tipped to return to the Three Lions set-up.
Read more… Micah Richards admits Cole Palmer ‘devastation’ after Chelsea star haunts City
With England already securing their place at Euro 2024 following their victory over Italy last month, Southgate could be looking to the future with his three additions as Palmer is 21 and Lewis is 18. Palmer, Lewis and Konsa are all uncapped at senior level and will be hoping to impress the Three Lions boss.
Southgate was asked about Sterling’s absence following the squad announcement last week. And the 53-year-old told reporters: “The door is 100 per cent open, not only for Raheem but for other players who aren’t in this squad. There’s no doubt about that. He wasn’t available in March or June and the team had started on a good run. So we’ve stuck with that group.
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“There’s no question Raheem is looking dangerous for his club. He looks invigorated since the start of this season and, as I said, there are a few players that aren’t in this squad for whom either they’re injured or the door is absolutely open. We’ll always be open to that.”
And he added: “You look at Jarrod Bowen, who has seven goals this season already, Anthony Gordon is playing very well at Newcastle as well, Cole Palmer is starting to play well. So it’s just a changing landscape there.”
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