Gareth Southgate makes personal check-up on Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere ahead of naming England squad for November friendlies

  • England boss Gareth Southgate will watch Arsenal take on Swansea on Saturday
  • Southgate is keen to bring Wilshere into the England fold ahead of the World Cup
  • Swansea's Tammy Abraham also gets a chance to stake his claim for a senior call

England manager Gareth Southgate will check on Jack Wilshere's fitness ahead of next month's friendlies against Germany and Brazil when he watches Arsenal take on Swansea. 

Southgate has been keeping close tabs on Wilshere's progress this season as he recovers from a broken leg and will use Saturday's encounter at the Emirates to receive a fresh update.

Wilshere is unlikely to start against the Swans, but Southgate hopes the 25-year-old will have the opportunity to play some part ahead of the squad announcement on Thursday.

England boss Gareth Southgate will check on Jack Wilshere's ahead of November's friendlies

England boss Gareth Southgate will check on Jack Wilshere's ahead of November's friendlies

Southgate is keen to reintroduce Wilshere back into the international fold ahead the World Cup

Southgate is keen to reintroduce Wilshere back into the international fold ahead the World Cup

England No 2 Steve Holland will is likely to get a better look at Wilshere against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday night, a clash the midfielder is almost certain to start.


Southgate is keen to reintroduce Wilshere back into the international fold ahead of next summer's World Cup but is concerned the Arsenal man will not be sharp enough due to his current lack of regular Premier League action.

Saturday's fixture also allows Southgate to run the rule over Tammy Abraham. The Swansea striker, on-loan from Chelsea, has made a promising start to his top flight career, scoring four goals in eight league starts.

Southgate may prefer to keep Abraham with the Under 21's, but the 20-year-old will be keen to impress the senior England boss.

Saturday's fixture also allows Southgate to run the rule over Swansea's Tammy Abraham

Saturday's fixture also allows Southgate to run the rule over Swansea's Tammy Abraham

The national team manager and Holland will also watch Tottenham's clash against Real Madrid on Wednesday, where the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Kieran Trippier and Danny Rose could play a part.

Whilst Southgate is at Arsenal, Holland will be in south London watching West Ham's visit to Crystal Palace, where Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell, Joe Hart and Andros Townsend will look to make an impression.

Neither Southgate or Holland are scheduled to attend Sunday's league games: Brighton versus Southampton and Leicester against Everton.

Jamie Vardy, Michael Keane, Harry Maguire, Jordan Pickford, Fraser Forster, Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse, who have all been called up by Southgate previously, could feature in the Sunday games.