Southgate: Shaw and Sterling can inspire Young Lions

Gareth Southgate believes the progression of England Under-21 stars Luke Shaw and Raheem Sterling to the senior squad this week sets a great example to the rest of his squad.

The Young Lions take on Wales in Derby in their next Euro qualifier on Wednesday, the same night that Roy Hodgson’s side play Denmark at Wembley.

And Southampton left-back Shaw and Liverpool winger Sterling, who have both played a key part in the Under-21s’ rise to the top of their qualifying group table, will be reporting for senior duty.

That is something which Southgate is pleased to see, with a clear pathway emerging for his players to exploit should they perform well for club and country.

"I think it was always likely that we would lose a couple of players from the last squad to the senior team, but that’s great as it’s ultimately what we’re trying to do – produce players for the seniors and be successful," said Southgate, who also named his squad on Thursday.

"If the lads know that if they’re playing well for the Under-21s, there is a pathway, as Roy Hodgson has been to watch a lot of the games and communicates closely with us."

Southgate’s squad meet at St. George’s Park on Sunday evening to begin their preparation for the Wales game at the iPro Stadium.

It is over three months since their last game, a record-breaking 9-0 victory over San Marino in Shrewsbury, but despite the loss of Shaw and Sterling, head coach Southgate has been able to keep the bulk of his squad together.

"It’s been a break of over three months since our last game in November and all of the players will have been focusing on their clubs in that time, so it’s important this week for us to reflect back on what we are about as a team and what we’ve worked on so far," explained Southgate.

"After our win over San Marino in November, everybody left Shrewsbury in good spirits after a really enjoyable performance.

"It was a game which was difficult to take credit from, but we managed to do it because the attitude of the players was first class, with their desire to move the ball quickly and their desire to keep going forward once we were ahead.

"We want to keep that going as a group. We’ve spoken about being the best we can be, not just by winning matches, but every day in training when we have to set our standards high."

One thing that Southgate has been encouraged by is the number of players at his disposal who are performing well for their clubs.

Over the past few months, the former Crystal Palace and Aston Villa player has been a regular at Premier League and Championship games across the country.

And he admits that picking his Under-21 group is getting harder and harder each time.

"In the past, picking a squad has been quite hard and it’s getting harder because more players are emerging playing regular Premier League football and Championship football," he revealed.

"That competition for places is really driving people’s performances up, but as with all the players in this group though, they are a work in progress and they can only continue that learning by playing with and against better players.

"I’ve also been out to the clubs to meet with some of the managers and to see the players at their own clubs over the last three months.

Southgate has a close relationship with Hodgson

"So there’s really not enough time to do everything that you want to do – you want to spend more time getting to the clubs but they have such a packed schedule of games.

"It’s not just the managers, but the academy managers, chief scouts and we’re trying to build links at clubs from top to bottom, wherever we can.

"Generally it’s great to go in and try to explain what we’re trying to do with international teams and build those relationships and the clubs have been very welcoming."

Tickets for Wednesday’s game at the iPro Stadium are priced at £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. These can be purchased in person from the Digonex Ticket Office, by calling 0871 472 1884 (option 1) or by visiting WeAreDerby.com.