Gareth Southgate’s bright England squad face toughest test yet in Scotland | Paul Wilson


A lot has changed for England in the past year and a tricky trip to Hampden Park for a World Cup qualifier offers Marcus Rashford and company a chance to shine

Despite Saturday night’s showpiece in Cardiff, the season is not quite over yet. A round of internationals can be found tagged on almost apologetically next weekend, with England involved in a World Cup qualifier against Scotland in Glasgow on Saturday before a friendly in France takes place three days later.

A return to France will inevitably evoke memories of another tired tournament campaign coming to an even more cataclysmic end than usual with defeat by Iceland, though it might be more positive to reflect on how much has changed since then. When England take on Scotland it will be a year since Euro 2016 kicked off, with France overcoming a stubborn Romania through a late Dimitri Payet goal. Payet was still a West Ham player at the time, and when he scored his next goal a proud Slaven Bilic climbed on the desk in the ITV studio set to express his excitement.

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