Luke Shaw might be about to send Erik ten Hag a message about Manchester United call

Gareth Southgate has shown he will stand by players who have never let him down and that could be a lifeline for Luke Shaw.

England are in action for the final time before November's World Cup over the next few days as they take on Italy and Germany in the Nations League. As naturally as rivers flow into the sea, Gareth Southgate has inevitably received criticism from some quarters for his squad selection.

The biggest gripe this time around appears to be that he has selected players despite them not playing well, or even playing at all, for their clubs. Manchester United' s Shaw and Harry Maguire, Mason Mount, Ben Chilwell, Tammy Abraham and Jarrod Bowen haven't been in form at all while Man City duo Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker have both been injured in recent weeks. They've all made the cut while United's Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford have stayed at home.

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While frustrations are understandable, these gripes disregard all the work Southgate has done with England. It isn't just about players who are doing really well for their clubs, it's about the ones that are best suited to this team, the players do the jobs he wants doing out on the pitch; the ones who have always delivered and taken England to the semi-finals and final of the two most recent major tournaments.

Bringing in a load of fresh faces at this point, so close to Qatar, would risk upsetting the harmony of the squad and throwing the team spirit that has been fostered off kilter. Now is not the time for experimentation.

So Shaw and Maguire still have their places in the squad. Sancho and Rashford remain out in the cold.

Both United defenders have been far from their best