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Wayne Rooney took part in England’s training session on Monday morning but his place in the starting line-up for the clash with Slovenia is in doubt.
Sportsmail understands Gareth Southgate is giving serious consideration to what would be the biggest decision of his short managerial reign – dropping his captain from the starting line-up.
The Three Lions trained at Tottenham’s Enfield training centre ahead of Tuesday’s clash in Ljubljana as they look to maintain their 100 per cent win record in World Cup qualifying Group F.
Rooney, who was booed by sections of the Wembley crowd during Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Malta, was put through his paces along with his team-mates but is not guaranteed a starting spot.
Southgate has insisted that he is not afraid to axe Rooney and, with Eric Dier, arguably England’s best player during the sorry Euro 2016 campaign, pushing for a recall to the team, the England boss is considering his midfield options — and that could put Rooney at risk.
Southgate is adamant he is strong enough to leave Rooney on the bench if needed, saying he made far harder decisions during his managerial career.
‘The biggest decision of my career? Making some really close friends redundant — that’s probably as big as you can get,’ said Southgate, referring to his spell as Middlesbrough boss.
‘I’ve got to make decisions which are right for the team. Whenever you select a team with England, you’re going to leave some guys on the bench who are playing every week in the Premier League for their clubs.
‘You have to be prepared to do that, that’s part and parcel of the job.’
Meanwhile, Joe Hart is expecting a difficult night after Slovenia provided England’s toughest test of Euro 2016 qualification.
The Three Lions have won their 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Slovakia and at home to Malta, making them the early Group F leaders.
Gareth Southgate’s side continue their campaign in Slovenia on Tuesday as the players resume battle with their most challenging opponents of an otherwise straightforward route to Euro 2016.
The 3-1 comeback win at Wembley and 3-2 triumph in Ljubljana last June were the only times Hart’s goal was breached during qualification, so England’s number one is expecting a similarly difficult evening.
‘It was probably our toughest two games of the group, especially at Wembley,’ the Torino goalkeeper said.
‘They took the lead and it took us a while to get back into it. It was one of those tough internationals.
‘I think we then played them in mid-June and Jack (Wilshere) had an amazing game and scored two fantastic goals.
‘We ended up really needing Wazza’s (Wayne Rooney) cool, calm head to stick the ball away.
‘It was a really good win for us and a really good game. We expect the same sort of game on Tuesday night.
‘I played against one of their players last Sunday for Fiorentina, Josip Ilicic. He is a strong player with a good left foot.
‘They have got some good players and they work well as a group. They have got a fantastic keeper so they are going to be good.
