International Friendlies: England vs Italy, 5 Talking Points

#3 Lingard and Sterling put Alli's place in jeopardy

Raheem Sterling continues to thrive

Quite curiously, manager Southgate opted to leave in-form Tottenham Hotspur star Delle Alli on the bench once again, having left him out of action against the Netherlands last Friday too. Even if he were to travel to Russia with the rest of the squad, the prospects of a starting berth look bleak especially after Lingard and Sterling turned in compelling shows.

The Manchester City starlet troubled Italy with pace and quick movements, while his United counterpart pulled the strings in the midfield in another fine outing to follow-up with his winner against the Dutch last week.

Alli is incredibly talented too, but the fact he was overlooked in both friendlies casts a grey cloud on his chances at the World Cup. Add to the mix the rich vein of form for both Lingard and Sterling, and the Spurs midfielder's case looks even worse.