Head coach Gareth Southgate insisted on supporting Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire, but said he would consider sacking experienced players if the situation became “unacceptable”.

Southgate’s words came after England drew 3-3 against Germany in the European Nations League, where Maguire converted a penalty to give the German team the lead.

Asked how to keep his players, Southgate said: “It will always be a challenge, especially in terms of how connected they are to their clubs. I know that everyone will be focused on Harry, but there were some very important things that Harry showed in two games. Luke was another example of this. An outstanding football player, so what should we do? Shouldn’t we pick Luke Shaw because he doesn’t play enough football?”

“It will always be divisive, but I think at times like this we should support our best and most experienced players, unless we’re in a situation where it’s almost hard to pick them.”

Translation by Safwan Shami