Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho to book their England place at the World Cup finals. That is the harsh reality facing the Manchester United pair, according to Gareth Southgate, after he omitted them from his latest squad for next month’s Nations League clashes - against Hungary, Germany and Italy.
And with only one more international break to come next season before the finals kick off in mid-November, the England boss admits opportunities to get back into the reckoning are fast disappearing.
What Southgate needs to see more than anything is Rashford and Sancho, with 46 and 23 caps, respectively, playing regularly for United - and consistently close to their best.
That was definitely not the case last season with neither an automatic pick for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer nor Ralf Rangnick. Southgate insists that must change as Erik ten Hag assumes the Old Trafford reins - if they are to be genuine contenders for the plane to Qatar.
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