Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster has been called up to the England national team for the recent crop of international fixtures, with the 34-year-old looking to make his seventh appearance for the Three Lions.
Forster has been in excellent form for Southampton since replacing the injured Alex McCarthy, as well as significantly outperforming Willy Caballero, hence why he has regained his place in England’s squad after Sam Johnstone dropped out.
Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings may not be one of the first names on England fans’ minds, but, the 29-year-old has made 16 caps for England, including three group stage appearances at Euro 2020.
Mings is relatively quick across the ground considering that he is just four centimetres shy of being two metres tall and coupled with the fact that he is left-footed, he has a chance of being part of Southgate’s 23 man squad for Qatar, especially when you consider that prior to the Switzerland game, he had started two of England’s last three matches against Hungary and San Marino.
England have kept a clean sheet in nine of the last 10 matches than Mings has played, with the Villa defender starting seven of these fixtures.
Despite regularly impressing for Liverpool, 24-year-old centre-back Joe Gomez has made just 11 caps for England, mainly due to injury problems.
The former Charlton Athletic youngster’s last cap was all the way back on 8th October in a 3-0 international friendly win over Wales and will be determined to put himself back in the running for Qatar, especially with the tournament being so far away.
If Gomez can prove his fitness and regain his place in Liverpool’s starting line-up, then there is every chance that he will be in consideration for a place in Southgate’s squad.
Eric Dier is comfortably the most capped player on this list with 45 to his name across his career.
The 28-year-old will forever be in England folklore for his winning penalty against Colombia in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as England broke their penalty shootout hoodoo.
Dier’s versatility makes him an option for the squad, as the Tottenham Hotspur man can play as a centre-back and defensive midfielder, but, he hasn’t been picked for the Three Lions squad since England’s 4-0 win over Iceland in the Nations League back in November 2020, something he will be looking to rectify.
Emile Smith-Rowe has been one of the outstanding performers in the Premier League this season, which has seen the 21-year-old being widely touted as a Three Lions star in the future.
The Arsenal playmaker has two caps to his name and made a goal and an assist against San Marino in England’s 10-0 win over the minnows last November and was chosen to represent England in their current squad.
So far this season, Smith-Rowe has managed 10 goals and two assists in 28 games for the Gunners, signalling just how well he has progressed as a footballer in the last 12 months or so.
Crystal Palace loanee Connor Gallagher is another player that will hope to be in the reckoning for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following a successful season so far at Selhurst Park.
The 22-year-old has managed to score eight goals and create five assists across 30 appearances in all competitions for the Eagles and will be potentially looking to break into Chelsea’s first team at the start of next season which could ultimately be a deciding factor in his selection later on this year.
Having already had two seasons of regular Premier League action at West Brom and Palace, it is vital that the midfielder kicks on now both for club and country, having made two caps for the Three Lions.
James Ward-Prowse has impressed many this season with his outstanding performances for Southampton and is perhaps an ideal replacement for one of Kalvin Phillips or Declan Rice should they be unavailable at any point for England.
The 27-year-old notably has outstanding set-piece qualities, hence why he takes corners and free kicks regularly for Southampton, which is an asset that would be useful for England, as Southgate’s men are known for making the most of set-pieces, especially at the 2018 World Cup.
Ward-Prowse was selected for March’s England squad but failed to make it off the bench against Switzerland.
West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen is another who has perhaps been underappreciated of late due to not having a household name.
The 25-year-old is yet to be capped for England, despite his tremendous performances this campaign with has seen the former Hull City man find the back of the next 12 times and create 11 assists in 39 matches.
Bowen will feel unlucky should he not be at least given an opportunity to showcase his talent by Southgate before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, having been one of the key players in David Moyes’ recent successes as West Ham boss.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has had a torrid time for Everton this season with injuries, as the 25-year-old Sheffield-born striker has appeared just 10 times in the Premier League for the Toffees, scoring three times.
At Euro 2020, Calvert-Lewin was England’s backup striker behind captain Harry Kane having managed 16 Premier League goals last season.
The Everton striker has 11 caps to his name for the Three Lions, scoring four, and with being a similar style of striker to Kane that can link up play and be a good areal threat in the penalty area, Calvert-Lewin will be hoping that he can impress Southgate once again and make the squad for Qatar 2022.
The final player on this list is AS Roma striker Tammy Abraham, who has been making the headlines of late for having a terrific first season with the Serie A club.
Abraham, who is now 24-years of age, has managed 23 goals and four assists across all competitions under Jose Mourinho and will be looking to carry on this form in a bid to add to the 10 caps he has managed under Southgate’s management.
The last time Abraham was capped by England was back on 15th November in their 10-0 thrashing of San Marino. AS Roma man, Abraham had to pull out of the current squad due to injury, but, will likely make the cut again if he carries on his impressive form at club level.
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