As England wave goodbye to Big Sam after his 67 day stint as Manager, the St George faithful will now look forward to a new era under the (temporary) watch of Gareth Southgate. Seen by many as a 'man of the English FA', England under 21 coach Southgate will be keen to stamp his own mark on the national team - and what better way to start than to bring in some new players for the next World Cup 2018 qualifying match against lowly Malta.
After winning the first match away to Slovakia & seeing Scotland thump Malta 5-1, England will be confident of another 3 points in the bag on the road to <strong>Russia 2018</strong>, so Southgate will see this as a golden opportunity to trial some new faces.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain makes a welcome return to the squad after being snubbed by Big Sam. Raheem Sterling and Glen Johnson are replaced by Andros Townsend and Michael Keane due to injury. Wayne Rooney will remain as captain despite being dropped to the bench by Manchester United.
England Lineup:
Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Torino, loan from Manchester City), Tom Heaton (Burnley)
Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Michael Keane (Burnley), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Spurs)
Midfielders: Eric Dier (Spurs), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Michail Antonio (West Ham), Jesse Lingard (Man United), Andros Townsend (Crystal Palace), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Dele Alli (Spurs)
Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Man United), Marcus Rashford (Man United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester)