It's the last international break of the year and England have some big games in the Nations League coming up. After their 7-0 demolition of Croatia in the last match of the Nations League, the Three Lions are all but certain of qualification to the knockout stage. But, with games at home to Croatia and in Spain to come, they could secure top spot before March's quarter-finals.
Manager Thomas Tuchel likes to reference "credit in the bank" for players who have performed for him in the past. However, with some of the stars who helped England reach the semi-finals of the World Cup not in the previous squad due to injury issues, it will be interesting to see who Tuchel selects for these two big games after some impressive performances. The likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and many others are now stonewall selections but the intrigue is around the remaining few spots still seemingly up for grabs.
Will some old faces earn a recall or will there be new faces soon pulling on the England shirt? The 19-year-old Fulham midfielder has already been close to a senior-team debut. King travelled to the US as part of the preparation squad before the World Cup, along with Alex Scott, Ethan Nwaneri and Rio Ngumoha.
Scott and Ngumoha have already made their debuts for the senior side and Nwaneri is currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund. Tuchel said in his last press conference how King is close to a senior call-up and the midfielder has impressed for the under-21s too. The biggest challenge for King will be finding a chance to shine in his favoured number 10 position with Bellingham being England's best player and the position being one of real strength for the Three Lions.
There are a lack of number nines in the English game and the job of being Harry Kane's understudy is harder than it sounds. The England captain has just won the Ballon d'Or, likes to play almost every minute for his country and is the captain, record goalscorer and arguably the best player in Tuchel's side. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been selected in the squads pre and post the World Cup but, despite doing well for Leeds, it has not quite clicked for him under Tuchel and he was given just 15 minutes in two substitute appearances in the last window.
Tuchel has started to use Bellingham as the back-up to Kane but he could opt for more of a prospect in his squad in this shorter window and turn to Lankshear. The 21-year-old striker, who like Kane started at Tottenham before being sold to Middlesbrough this summer for £20m, has scored 15 goals in all competitions so far this campaign. He has scored 13 goals in as many games in the Championship, helping Middlesbrough to the top of the division.
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