Ashley Young will be an absentee on Thursday when Gareth Southgate names his first England squad since the run to the World Cup semi-finals, with the manager considering a recall for Luke Shaw.

Southgate has spoken to Young who, unlike Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill, has no intention of retiring from the national team, having played such a key role in Russia, not least with his set-piece delivery.

The 33-year-old played in all but the two games against Belgium, having been welcomed back into the fold last November after a four-year absence. Although his appetite to represent his country remains fierce, he understands the manager’s reasoning as England explore their options.

Jamie Vardy calls time on England career in talks with Gareth Southgate Read more

Young’s club-mate Shaw is under consideration to step up as a replacement for the Nations League match against Spain at Wembley a week on Saturday and the friendly with Switzerland at Leicester three days later. The 23-year-old has played once under Southgate, gaining his seventh and most recent cap against Germany in March 2017, but has impressed this season despite Manchester United’s stuttering start.

Southgate was in attendance at Old Trafford on Monday to witness Shaw’s performance against Tottenham, for whom Danny Rose played. Leicester’s Ben Chilwell and Ryan Bertrand of Southampton are alternative options at left wing-back.

Joe Gomez, who missed the World Cup through injury, will return after an excellent start to the season at Liverpool. He will in effect replace the experienced Cahill, who announced this week he wished to take a “step back” from England commitments as he seeks to regain a place in Chelsea’s lineup.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Luke Shaw has been impressive despite Manchester United’s stuttering start to the season. Photograph: John Peters/Man Utd via Getty Images

Southgate will retain faith with the majority of the squad who did so well in Russia but the United defender Phil Jones is expected to miss out through injury after limping away from Monday’s defeat by Spurs. Burnley’s James Tarkowski, on standby in the summer, is his expected replacement.

Southampton’s Alex McCarthy could step in for Nick Pope, a long-term absentee after dislocating a shoulder in Burnley’s Europa League qualifier at Aberdeen. The manager and his assistant, Steve Holland, have watched McCarthy’s recent games against Everton and Leicester. The goalkeeper, uncapped but called up by Roy Hodgson in 2013 and Sam Allardyce in 2016, is likely to earn a recall ahead of Joe Hart, who is gaining regular playing time after moving to Burnley. Jack Butland is likely to be retained despite playing in the Championship with Stoke.

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Vardy’s retirement, revealed by the Guardian on Tuesday, offers a forward a route into the squad. Southgate has been impressed by the uncapped Callum Wilson’s start to the campaign. The 26-year-old has sustained anterior cruciate ligament injuries in both knees since Bournemouth’s promotion to the Premier League, wrecking two of his top-flight campaigns, but has scored twice this season. Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck is likely to keep his place; Daniel Sturridge, fit again after a promising pre-season for Liverpool, is a possible alternative and Jadon Sancho’s performances for Borussia Dortmund have been noted.

Sancho could join Phil Foden and Ryan Sessegnon in the under-21s – they have European Championship qualifiers against the Netherlands and Latvia – and it remains to be seen whether Ruben Loftus-Cheek, limited to a solitary appearance as a substitute for Chelsea this season, retains his place in the senior squad.

Ross Barkley has enjoyed more game time at Chelsea, while Southgate and his staff have also monitored Will Hughes’s progress at Watford. Adam Lallana is fit again having missed the World Cup after an injury-wrecked season for Liverpool.