Gareth Southgate Names Three Uncapped Players In 28 Man England Squad

But the Premier League season just started, why do you do this to us! Yes just as the momentum of the new league season has made us all happy along comes an international break to ruin it. At least there's three new names to be underwhelming in an England shirt.

You'll have to excuse my cynicism. Obviously there's nothing in this world as good as the month long festival of football that a World Cup summer brings us but the bits to get us there a boring as sin, hey it's time for England vs Slovakia again.

_{Lallana's late goal in Allardyce's only game in charge is the only thing that's separated the two sides in 180 painstaking minutes of football. Image: PA}

England have faced their European 'rivals' twice in just over a year but Gareth Southgate wasn't in charge for either game as first Roy Hodgson's side played out an emphatic 0-0 draw in last summer's Euros and then Sam Allardyce oversaw his one win due to Adam Lallana's late goal.

Today Southgate announced his latest squad for the game against Slovakia and, first up, against Malta. The squad has 28 players and includes three new names in Nathaniel Chalobah, Harry Maguire and Jordan Pickford:

All three men have made moves to new clubs this summer with Chalobah now getting first team football at Watford having left Chelsea, Maguire continuing to impress at Leicester after doing the same for Hull last season and Pickford mirroring that with his move from Sunderland to Everton.

The large squad surely suggests that Southgate has some injury worries and the presence of four goalkeepers hints that Joe Hart's time as guaranteed number one is over.

_{Butland has long been thought of as an eventual replacement for Hart. Image: PA}

Whilst it is hard for England managers to pick players as there's plenty not getting enough game time the addition of some players will, as always, cause discussions among fans.

England will almost certainly qualify for the 2018 World Cup, it's the next bit we aren't very good at.

Topics: Russia 2018, England, World Cup

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a writer for SPORTbible. He covers all sport from football, formula one, cricket, rugby, tennis, athletics, mma and wrestling. He obviously hates YOUR football team and has no interest in synchronised swimming.

@Sidler28