England manager Gareth Southgate faces a selection dilemma in the heart of defence as he finalises his first post-World Cup squad.
The national team head coach names his squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine next Thursday and has pondered refreshing his central defensive contingent.
Southgate took John Stones, Harry Maguire, Eric Dier and Conor Coady to Qatar but there is a realisation that his options at centre-backs need to evolve ahead of the European Championships next year.
The England boss remains a huge fan of Maguire, but the defender has made just five starts since the World Cup and the credibility of selecting the Manchester United captain when he isn’t playing regularly at club level will be questioned again if he is picked next week.