Critical Choices: The Ultimate England Squad - Should Maguire and Henderson Take On Ukraine and Scotland?

England's Euro 2024 qualifying campaign moves forward as they prepare to face Ukraine this Saturday. However, we're curious about your vision for the squad. Gareth Southgate will announce his selection on Thursday for the upcoming match against Ukraine in Poland, followed by a clash with Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday. This game holds particular significance as it commemorates the 150th anniversary of the historic first encounter between these two teams.

The England manager is dealing with several tough decisions regarding player selections. One of the main concerns is the uncertain situation surrounding Harry Maguire's future at Manchester United, as his proposed move to West Ham fell through. Additionally, England captain Jordan Henderson completed a transfer to the Saudi Pro League team Al Ettifaq from Liverpool this summer. Henderson made sure to secure assurances about his international career before making the switch.

Several players with limited international experience have made strong cases for inclusion in the squad, such as Marc Guehi, James Ward-Prowse, James Maddison, Jarrod Bowen, Ollie Watkins, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Eberechi Eze. Additionally, Solly March, the Brighton winger, is eager for his first call-up. Share your England squad using our interactive selector below and tweet it to @SkyFootball on Twitter.

State of play

Maguire to keep place

Senior reporter Rob Dorsett reveals that Harry Maguire is expected to feature in England's squad for the upcoming matches against Ukraine and Scotland, even though he has not seen any action for Manchester United this season.

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This season, Erik Ten Hag has chosen Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and Victor Lindelof as his preferred options for United. However, Maguire has declined the chance to join West Ham, stating his preference to remain at Old Trafford and compete for his position.

Now, with injuries to both John Stones and Tyrone Mings, and the absence of Eric Dier from the Tottenham bench in the first three Premier League matches of the season, Maguire appears to be the likely candidate to retain his place in the England team. Gareth Southgate seeks a wealth of experience among his central defensive options, thus favoring Maguire's inclusion.

What do the stats say?

Well, the team would look very different to Southgate's usual line-ups, according to the We Power Rankings - a system which awards points to players for 35 matchday stats.

Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who recently secured high-profile transfers to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, have solidified their positions as the first names on the teamsheet. Surprisingly, they are the only regular players to maintain their starting berths.

Taking up the full-back positions are Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United and Rico Henry, an uncapped left-back from Brentford. Meanwhile, Fikayo Tomori from AC Milan and Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace secure the center-back positions.

Following his £40m transfer from Leicester this summer, James Maddison has made a striking impact at Tottenham. The midfield trio is completed by Bellingham and the newly signed James Ward-Prowse from West Ham.

England has a plethora of choices when it comes to attacking options on the flanks. However, when it comes to the right channel, winger Jarrod Bowen stands out from the rest, outperforming all other competitors. On the other hand, uncapped Brighton forward Solly March is positioned on the left flank, currently holding the title of the third most in-form player in the Premier League.