Is new always better? Southgate has a difficult decision on who to include in his England squad.
With Southgate set to announce his provisional England squad next Wednesday, we’ve looked at which bookies believe former players can still have something to offer in Russia next month.
Bookies appear to be no closer to deciding on certain players, especially with the amount of injuries which have cropped up this month.
James Milner, who retired from the national side, has arguably had one of his best seasons in a Liverpool shirt and there’s been a lot of speculation about the midfielder making a return to the Three Lions.
Milner is currently as short as 2/1 to go to Russia with William Hill but bet365 have him at a massive 10/1.
A return to the national side looks unlikely for Theo Walcott, who moved to Everton in January in an attempt to prove his worth at both club and national level.
However, bet365 and Skybet both share the same view that he is no longer capable, and have priced him up at 12/1 and 10/1 respectively.
However, those at Unibet have him at 4/1, which gives him more than a glimmer of hope of boarding the plane – whether he deserves it or not.
Premier League winner Fabian Delph hasn’t featured in the England side since the back end of 2015, but the diverse 28-year-old is odds on with six bookies. Betway are the only bookies to be brave enough with the price and you still grab 4/6.
The fact that he can slot in at left back, wing back or sit in front of the defence, means he could be a solid utility player for Southgate in Russia, potentially freeing up a place for another attacking player.
Oddschecker spokesman George Elek: “It maybe says a lot about Southgate's options that a retired player in Milner is as short as 2/1, and his decision not to name a 30-man preliminary squad maybe suggests that there will be few surprises.”
