Gareth Southgate to continue tracking Mason Mount and Jack Grealish after Championship scouting trip
Southgate and assistant Steve Holland snubbed England stars in Champions League action to watch two youngsters in EFL as they search for creative midfielders for their squad
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GARETH SOUTHGATE will continue monitoring Mason Mount and Jack Grealish after England's surprise scouting trip to the Championship.
Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland snubbed the chance to watch Three Lions stars in Champions League action last night to drop down to the EFL.
The England boss checked in at Pride Park to watch teenager Mount in person, while sidekick Holland checked up on Grealish in action against Rotherham.
That was despite the opportunity to watch rising young defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez in action for Liverpool against the superstars of PSG.
England's need for a playmaker in their squad has been evident for some time and was reinforced in the matches against Spain and Switzerland earlier this month.
But the biggest problem is two of the main hopes to fulfil that role - Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Adam Lallana - are not playing for their clubs.
With Ross Barkley also now back on the fringes at Chelsea, Southgate has been forced to look outside of the Premier League.
Both Mount and Grealish have been on his radar for some time, but the fact he and Holland have made personal trips to watch them shows how much they are being considered for a senior call-up.
Grealish, 23, has long been touted for international recognition and his form last season pushed him close to a call-up.
But though he had a hand in Villa's opening goal in the 2-0 the midfielder struggled to impose himself on the game playing out on the left.
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Mount, on the other hand, showed up well for Derby although he was unable to inspire Frank Lampard's side to victory in a goalless draw against Blackburn.
The 19-year-old, who scored on his under-21 debut this month, was the best player on the pitch as he was at the heart of all Derby's best attacking moves.
And he was unlucky to see an audacious 30-yard free-kick cannon back off the crossbar, missing out on the opportunity to impress Southgate in perfect style.
Having been invited to train with the senior squad for a week prior to the World Cup, the Chelsea loanee is already high in the thinking of the Three Lions management team.
But having advanced him to the under-21 side for the first time recently, it would represent a bold step to draft him straight into the senior squad - especially for two high profile Nations League matches.
But November's friendly against United States is a potential opportunity for Southgate to bring in some youngsters to get a taste of life with the senior side.