Gareth Southgate’s first England match day squad – Where are they now?
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Back in 2016, Gareth Southgate took charge of his first England game as he was the interim manager for a 2-0 win over Malta. Southgate was appointed on a short-term basis following Sam Allardyce’s departure and as we know, he went on to take the job permanently. We’ve taken a look at Southgate’s matchday squad for that win over Malta to see where the players he selected for that game are today.
Joe Hart
Three years ago, Joe Hart was still England’s first-choice goalkeeper and was on a season-long loan at Torino. He’s no longer involved with England and currently finds himself acting as Nick Pope’s backup at Burnley.
Kyle Walker
Kyle Walker was one of Southgate’s first-choice players right up until the end of the World Cup. He’s still a regular for Man City but he’s not been in the last two England squads with Southgate preferring other options, such as Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Gary Cahill
Gary Cahill started at centre-back against Malta. He’s now retired from international football but aged 34, he’s enjoying somewhat of a career resurgence at Crystal Palace.
John Stones
John Stones is still very much in Southgate’s plans, and Pep Guardiola’s at Man City too.
Ryan Bertrand
Ryan Bertrand only lasted 19 minutes of the Malta game before going off injured. He’s still at Southampton but hasn’t featured for England since 2017.
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson started in the midfield three years ago and he’s still first-choice for England now. He’s become a Champions League-winning captain since and is still playing pretty much each week for Liverpool.
Dele Alli
Dele Alli scored England’s second goal at Wembley against Malta. He’s often been a regular when fit for Southgate, but the manager left him out of his most recent squads after a poor run of form at Tottenham.
Jesse Lingard
Jesse Lingard, like Alli, was a regular for Southgate through to the end of the World Cup but he too has been left out of Southgate’s most recent squad as his performances for Man United haven’t been too good.
Theo Walcott
Theo Walcott started on the wing against Malta. He only played two more times for England after that and hasn’t been involved since a friendly with Spain in 2016. He’s now a bit-part player at Everton.
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney captained England against Malta in 2016. He played two more World Cup qualifiers before retiring from international football, although he did come out of that retirement to play one more match for England against the USA at Wembley in November 2018 to help promote The Wayne Rooney Foundation. He’s now playing Championship football for Derby County.
Daniel Sturridge
Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring in the Malta game. He played for England just two more times. Aged 30, he’s recently had his contract with Trabzonspor voided after he was banned for breaking FA rules on gambling.
Sub: Danny Rose
Danny Rose replaced the injured Bertrand at left-back in the Malta game. He’s still often part of the England squad but after a spell as first-choice left-back, he looks like Ben Chilwell’s backup for the national team at present. He’s currently on loan at Newcastle and looks set to leave Tottenham on a permanent deal this summer.
Sub: Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford, who also came on a substitute against Malta, is very much part of the current set up and is now a regular in Man United’s side.
Sub: Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy came off the bench too, replacing Sturridge. He’s now retired from international duty but is still scoring goals for Leicester.
Unused Sub: Fraser Forster
Fraser Forster was England’s second-choice goalkeeper in 2016. Like Joe Hart, he too is no longer involved with the national team. He was Southampton’s third-choice goalkeeper for a while, and he’s now back at Celtic on loan.
Unused Sub: Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling hasn’t played for England since 2017. He’s currently on loan at AS Roma from Man United.
Unused Sub: Eric Dier
Eric Dier is still involved with England, although he’s not a regular starter like he once was.
Unused Sub: Michael Keane
Michael Keane was still at Burnley in 2016. He has since moved to Everton and after a spell out of the squad, he’s now back in Southgate’s plans but his latest performances for his country left a lot to be desired.
Unused Sub: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was an Arsenal player back in 2016. He’s now at Liverpool, but he’s still working his way back to full fitness after suffering a really bad knee injury at the end of the 2017/18 campaign.
Unused Sub: Michail Antonio
Michail Antonio was on the bench for the Malta game after deciding to reject the chance to play for Jamaica to instead represent England. He was in a few squads around that time but never actually picked up a cap. He’s currently looking to keep West Ham in the top flight.
Unused Sub: Andros Townsend
Andros Townsend had only just joined Crystal Palace when he was involved in the Malta squad. He’s not played for England since the friendly with Spain in 2016 but he’s still a regular for Palace.
Unused Sub: Tom Heaton
Tom Heaton was Burnley’s number one in 2016. However, he’s now at Aston Villa and had earned a place back in the England squad before he suffered a serious knee injury.