Southgate on duo's first call-up, absentees and much more

Gareth Southgate sat down with the media on Thursday afternoon to discuss his England squad for March’s mouth-watering clashes against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley Stadium.

The England men’s senior team head coach was asked about a wide range of topics, including the first-time call-ups of Jarrad Branthwaite and Anthony Gordon; the return of Ivan Toney, Joe Gomez and Ben Chilwell; plus the absence of several other players.

You can read Southgate’s view on a wide range of topics and watch the press conference in full below. 

On the first call-up of Jarrad Branthwaite

“He has played consistently well. We watched him as a back-up centre-half for the Under-21 EUROs so if you had said to me then that he would play as consistently well at Premier League level as he has, then I would have questioned that last summer.

“So it is a great credit to him and to [Everton manager] Sean Dyche, because he has given a young centre-half an opportunity.

“Jarrad is good with the ball, shows good composure, has a good mentality and he is a left-footer, which we don't have many left-footed defenders.

“So he is in on merit and we're really keen to work with him and find out a bit more about him.”

On what Anthony Gordon did to catch Southgate’s attention and earn a call-up

“Consistently good performances. He was very close in November – which we said at the time – and he has continued his form.

“He is scoring, his work for the team is excellent, he competes – which is important – and I really like his attitude.

“He is another one that we watched closely with the Under-21s where he fulfilled a different role as a sort of a false nine but did really well.

“He has had a very good season, and he has got goals against some of the big teams as well, which for us is also very interesting to see.”

On the return of Joe Gomez for the first time since late-2020 and the option of his versatility going into a tournament

“Firstly, it's great to see Joe playing regularly at Liverpool because it has obviously been a couple of years since he has done that.

“He is such a lovely boy. I have known him since the Under-17s when they won in Malta when he was at Charlton.

“So we have always had great faith in Joe and we love working with Joe. We're delighted to see him back playing.

“He is versatile, he is in very good form at this moment in time, and we look forward to seeing him next week.”

On England’s current injury problems and how difficult it was to select the squad

“We seem over the last few weekends to have lost two or three players every weekend, so we are inheriting issues that are apparent at some clubs at the moment.

“But they are completely out of our control, and you have to adjust and adapt to make the best decisions possible once you are in that situation.

“And of course, it gives opportunities for other people to come in and stake a claim, so we are always looking at the positive side of it.”

On the return of Ivan Toney and whether there is enough space in the EURO 2024 squad for him and Ollie Watkins alongside Harry Kane

“Maybe [there will be space], maybe not. I genuinely don't know the answer to that. That will depend on what sort of cover we need and what the profiles of the rest of the squad are, so whether we need a couple of players that are adaptable and can play in different positions, which means you can take specialists in certain other positions.

“We feel that Ivan is one of the contenders in that [no.9] role so it was important to bring him back in and be able to work with us again.

“He showed straight away, getting back into Brentford's team, the quality and the impact that he can have.

“Equally, Ollie is having an outstanding season with Aston Villa and is a player in excellent form and I have to say, Unai Emery has done a brilliant job with Villa and Ollie is a player that has benefited from that work.”

On Kobbie Mainoo remaining with the development squads

“I think he's doing brilliantly for a young player, and we're never slow to put a young player into the seniors. But he's only had a handful of games and you must be very careful, development-wise, in making those decisions at the right time.

“So we think ideally we should allow him that space to develop at his own speed.

“He is not at the point in terms of number of games that Jude Bellingham or Bukayo Saka were at when they came in for the first time, but I repeat, he's doing really well for a young player.

“He's a good footballer, you can see that, and he's getting some fabulous experience with Manchester United at the moment and looks a really good character.”

The absence of Kalvin Phillips and the challenge he faces making the EURO 24 squad

“I think Kalvin knows exactly what we think of him. I think we've shown that support.

“A good version of him is an important player for us and that is why we have supported him the way we have. We don't have many players of that profile. Unfortunately, his form just hasn't been good enough.

“I have spoken to him about that and he understands. He has all the attributes to force his way back in and we are really keen for him to do that.

“I said towards the end of last year when we were picking the squads that if he had continued not to play at City, that was going to be a problem. He just needs to find that rhythm and confidence because there's an outstanding player in there and I'm sure he'll find that.”

On the absence of Ben White and whether he is available for selection at the moment

“Look, that is absolutely the question you should ask because clearly on form I can't sit here and say he doesn't deserve to be in [the squad].

“[England technical director] John McDermott had a call from Edu [Arsenal’s sporting director] last week to say that Ben didn't want to be considered for England squads at this time.

“For me, that is a great shame because he is a player I really like. He's a player that we took to a EUROs when he was at Brighton and is a player that we took to the World Cup.

“I spoke to him post-Qatar [after White had returned home from the World Cup early] because I was keen to pick him and there was clearly a reticence on his side. I don't fully know why that is but I have to respect that.

“I want to leave the door open for him because he's a good player, and I think he's a player that can make a difference for England. But he is not available to us.

“The only other thing I would say is there is no issue between us at all and also I should say there has never been an issue with [England assistant coach] Steve Holland because that has been mentioned in articles, and I don't like that.

“People can talk about me and I have to accept that things get said that are false about me. For whatever reason, in this role, you have to almost stomach that. But I'm not prepared for that to happen with a key member of my coaching team because that is not the reason that Ben is unavailable for selection.”

On whether the door is still open for White ahead of EURO 2024

“One hundred per cent. As I just said, I want that door wide open. He would be in this squad but he's not available to us so I have to focus on those that can help us.”

On the fitness of Ben Chilwell and Harry Maguire, plus the potential back-up plans

“Both are back into training so we just have to see how that goes through the week.

“We obviously have contingency plans in every area of the pitch and some of those would be with the Under-21s.

“There are some young players from the Under-21s who are doing exceptionally well, especially in midfield with the likes to Kobbie Mainoo, Harvey Elliott, Rico Lewis – who was with us last time – and Archie Gray at Leeds, who is also doing very, very well, I have to say.

“So there are a number of players in that group that we could move up, which would obviously mess up what Lee Carlsey is trying to do with the Under-21 squad but it is obviously most important that we have the depth with the seniors first.”

On Jordan Henderson’s call-up and whether the pair spoke when the midfielder decided to leave the Saudi Pro League to join Ajax.

“We did speak. I'm obviously not going to divulge that conversation but yes it is good to see him back playing in a league that's probably easier to assess, and of course is playing European football as well, where he had the game against Villa last week, which is easier for us to see the level he's operating at.

“He has had a big influence on Ajax since he's been there, and I know they are very happy with him.

“We know what he brings, we know the leadership he brings, and you saw in the game last week, the game understanding he has, and we must have some balance with all of the attacking players that we have. Hendo is somebody that brings a lot to the team.”