‘Difficult call’ to leave out Cahill – Southgate

Gareth Southgate said it was “a very difficult call” to leave Gary Cahill out of the England squad.

The omission of Cahill, who recently lost his place in the Chelsea side, means there are no Blues players in boss Southgate’s squad for the games against the Netherlands and Italy.

However, Southgate added: “I think there are a few players not in this squad who are certainly not out of our mind.”

There is a first call-up for Hillingdon-born defender Alfie Mawson, who has impressed for Swansea City this season.

Explaining his selection process, Southgate said: “My preference is always that you have clarity for the players, in terms of you need to be playing regularly, you need to be in good form.

“Leading into a World Cup I’ve got to look at who are the players we believe can play at the level, and who are the players who have done well for us in the past.”