Gareth Southgate has resisted the temptation to overhaul his England squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, but the addition of Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze provides fresh and exciting input.

Instead, Southgate’s options look familiar as England prepare to visit Malta before meeting North Macedonia at Old Trafford, after they embark on a quest to win the Euros in Germany next summer and play in Italy and France. Ukraine wins at home.

Eze’s first-team debut was the most high-profile move and a well-deserved reward for the 24-year-old, who scored at Crystal Palace under Roy Hodgson, one of Southgate’s England predecessors. He has come a long way, scoring six goals in his last eight games for Crystal Palace.

He has also shown the resilience and determination to fully recover from the severe Achilles injury that sidelined him for a long period after entering Southgate’s thoughts.

Now that Eze is back, he has the chance to make a big difference in a season where he has 10 goals and 4 assists in 39 appearances, and he will enter the England squad alongside Crystal Palace team-mate defender Mark Gersh, who is also included.

Eze came on as Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling substitute, with the 28-year-old quit after talks with Southgate following his first season at Stamford Bridge Injured, but the state is also very indifferent.

Regardless, Sterling’s position will certainly be in jeopardy, but now he can rest and start next season, ready to fight to regain his place ahead of the Euros.

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is often the subject of debate whenever Gareth Southgate picks for England, has pushed further at Anfield after Jurgen Klopp started putting him in a more attacking role , it will be interesting to see how he does.

Brighton’s Lewis Dunk, who got a full cap against the United States in 2018, is back after an outstanding season at club level, while Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings has returned to the England squad after improving form following the appointment of Unai Emery as his club manager.

He doesn’t seem to have the full confidence of Emerivila’s predecessor, Steven Gerrard, who not only occasionally sidelined him but handed the club captaincy to John McGinn despite being under Jack Greerley. After Ash left Manchester City, Mings had the captain’s armband.

Southgate will obviously have to weigh the importance of this English doubles match against the pressure on players’ bodies this season.

City’s five-man squad of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Calvin Phillips, John Stones and Kyle Walker took part in the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul on June 10, West Ham captain Declan Rice then took part in the Europa League final against Fiorentina in Prague three days earlier.

The England manager said: “We are always concerned about the welfare of our players and we have to give them time to recover but not make them unwell. Like every other country, we have important qualifying games on the way to Germany. We choose We have a strong team and the players always like to come here. I think we will do our best.”

Southgate has remained loyal to those who have served him.

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire clearly went above and beyond for manager Eric ten Hager, who kept his place alongside Phillips, who made his Premier League debut in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Chelsea league. Signed for £45m from Leeds United last summer.

A notable absentee is Brentford’s Ivan Toni, who will be handed an eight-month ban for breaching FA betting rules. However, Southgate has the ideal replacement for Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson, who played in the World Cup in Qatar and played a key role in his club’s first Champions League reach in 20 years.

England must have been expecting to meet Malta and North Macedonia at the start of qualifying with a top four win in a row, but it is understandable that Southgate, despite his players, has no chance of taking a chance.