According to reports in the Daily Echo, in-form Southampton duo Charlie Austin and Nathan Redmond are not expected to receive call-ups to the England squad for the upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifier against Scotland, and friendly vs. Spain.

What’s the word, then?

Interim England manager Gareth Southgate is set to stick with a similar squad to the one that was picked for the previous international double-header against Malta and Slovenia, wanting to keep the faith with players such as Jamie Vardy, as well as not wanting to disrupt the U-21 side too greatly ahead of the Young Lions’ Euro 2017 campaign next summer.

Who would be dropped in favour of Austin up top?

It’s often said that the England squad is picked on form, and Austin is certainly enjoying a fruitful spell for Saints, scoring seven goals in his last eight appearances.

Meanwhile, despite his fantastic campaign last term, Vardy has struggled to recreate his showings for the Premier League champions this time around, failing to find the net in his last ten appearances for club and country.

Is Redmond ready to be promoted from the U-21s?

Most definitely. The 22-year-old has made more than 30 appearances for the U-21s and has therefore picked up plenty of experience, while he is also starting to shine in his new-found striking position for his club, scoring two goals in his last two Premier League appearances.

Could the snub for Austin work in Saints’ favour?

It just might. The club has seen Shane Long, Ryan Bertrand and Matt Targett all pick up knocks on international duty in recent weeks, and Claude Puel won’t be keen to lose his top goalscorer to injury with the games continuing to come thick and fast for the south coast outfit.

[ad_pod id='playwire' align='center']