Ivan Toney is a "perfect fit" for England, so says Thomas Frank, as the Brentford striker backed up his claim for a World Cup call.

Toney has been in superb form for Brentford this season and moved onto eight league goals for the season with a double in Friday's 2-0 defeat of Brighton and Hove Albion.

Having marked his 100th Premier League appearance for Brentford with a deft backheel to put them ahead in the first half, Toney coolly converted a spot-kick after the break to seal the points.

Toney has scored all 20 of his penalties for Brentford (excluding shoot-outs), including eight in the Premier League, putting him behind only Dimitar Berbatov (9/9) and Yaya Toure (11/11) when it comes to players with a 100 per cent record from the spot in the competition.

The 26-year-old, who also netted from 12 yards in last week's defeat to Newcastle United and last month's thrashing of Leeds United, received his maiden England call-up for the Nations League matches against Italy and Germany in September.

While he did not make his international debut, only Erling Haaland (15) has scored more goals than Toney in the Premier League this season, and Frank thinks Toney – who he reiterated is the finest penalty taker in the game – must be part of Gareth Southgate's squad.

"I know I say it every time and he’s starting to back me up a bit – the best penalty taker in the world. It’s not only because of his coolness, his technique, strategy and he practices," Frank told Sky Sports.

"We spoke about when he got the call, if he could get the first cap that would be amazing. It would be the first time in, I don't know, 80 years [that a Brentford player played for England] and we keep breaking records these days.

"But for Ivan it would be amazing and I think – I respect Gareth so much, he knows the bigger picture more than me – but I think he's a perfect fit for the squad if you want that flexibility in strikers."

Frank's sentiment was echoed by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, who said: "I think he has to go. We know Harry Kane is our number one but after that it feels as though a lot of the strikers are in the same sort of category in terms of quality. Ivan Toney, right now, is at the top of that list and I don't see how he doesn't go."

Fellow pundit Gary Neville says Toney – who joked he "thinks of being on the beach with a cocktail" when he takes his penalties, could prove a difference maker in a penalty shoot-out.

England have won only one of their last eight shoot-outs at major tournaments – against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup. Indeed, they lost last year's Euro 2020 final to Italy on penalties.

Neville said: "I went to eight tournaments, five of those got knocked out on penalties. The fact is it's about having confident players who do it regularly – and England have got a lot of those in the squad.

"Those big moments will be determined by penalties and free-kicks, to not have him there would be a big risk."

For his part, Toney said of his England experience: "I didn't feel out of place. I felt like I was ready for that step.

"I'm ready to take my opportunity. I always see myself as the best player on the pitch and you've always got to have that mentality, no matter who you come up against."

Joao Felix is increasingly frustrated with life at Atletico Madrid after dropping out of the starting XI in recent games.

The 22-year-old Portuguese is yet to score for the side in LaLiga or the Champions League this season and was an unused substitute in the midweek 0-0 draw with Club Brugge.

Atleti boss Diego Simeone has preferred Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, Matheus Cunha and Angel Correa in attack recently.

TOP STORY – JOAO FELIX WANTS ATLETICO EXIT

Joao Felix has requested to leave Atletico Madrid in January, reports Fichajes.

The forward is frustrated that he has been used sparingly, largely outside the starting XI this term.

Joao Felix's contract runs until 2026 and it will likely require a hefty fee to sign him from Atleti, who paid €126 million for him in 2019.

Relevo claims that Atleti are not considering selling the Portuguese any time soon.

ROUND-UP

– ​ Frenkie de Jong is growing frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities at Barcelona and will look to exit the club in January should the situation not improve, claims SPORT. De Jong was at the centre of a drawn-out off-season saga, amid links to Manchester United.

– Granit Xhaka will earn a contract extension at Arsenal, reports Football Insider. Xhaka, who is out of contract in 2024, has been in top form this term and will be rewarded after the World Cup.

– Chelsea have an interest in RB Leipzig's Austria international midfielder Konrad Laimer, reports Bild. Laimer is out of contract at the end of this season and the Blues will look to sign him for free if he is not sold in January.

– Chelsea along with Arsenal are now also keen on pursuing Rennes winger Jeremy Doku, claims Fichajes. The 20-year-old is already being chased by Liverpool, Napoli and Juventus.

– Bild also claims Chelsea are monitoring versatile Bayern Munich defender Benjamin Pavard.

– The Telegraph reports Thomas Tuchel is interested in the England managerial role should Gareth Southgate depart after this year's World Cup. The German has reportedly declined two Premier League jobs since leaving Chelsea last month.

Gareth Southgate declared England must improve on their poor record against Italy after the two nations were drawn together in a "tough" Euro 2024 qualification group.

The teams faced each other in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium last year, with Italy emerging victorious on penalties to win their first European Championship trophy since 1968 and deny England their first major title in 55 years.

The sides also met twice in the recent Nations League campaign, playing out a goalless draw at Molineux in June before Giacomo Raspadori gave Italy a 1-0 triumph in the return fixture at San Siro in September.

The Three Lions have not beaten Italy in six attempts since a 2-1 victory in 2012, and Southgate says that run needs to end.

"England's record against Italy generally is not very good," Southgate told Sky Sports. "So we've got to improve that.

"There's not too many surprises, they've changed the team a lot for all of those different matches.

"We know the quality they have, we know the depth that they have."

England and Italy have been drawn in Group C alongside Ukraine, Malta and North Macedonia, the latter of whom knocked the Azzurri out of the World Cup play-offs earlier this year, preventing the European champions from making it to Qatar.

Southgate acknowledged the overall difficulty of the group, adding: "It's clearly a tough draw, given the quality of the opposition.

"But we've had draws in qualification that have probably been a little bit more comfortable than that, although I'd have to say Poland and Hungary in the last qualifying group was particularly tough as well, so we're used to that.

"The draws are what they are, it's how you perform on the day."

England manager Gareth Southgate should take Ivan Toney to the World Cup, so says "biased" Brentford head coach Thomas Frank.

Toney has enjoyed a fine start to the season for Brentford, scoring five goals across eight Premier League appearances.

Indeed, since the start of last term, only five players have scored more goals in the competition than Toney (17), with Harry Kane (24) the sole English player to have netted more.

As well as being involved in seven of Brentford's 15 Premier League goals this season, Toney has had more shots (23) and created more chances from open play (10) than any other player for the Bees this term.

After scoring a hat-trick in a 5-2 rout of Leeds United on September 3, Toney received his first England call-up for last month's Nations League matches against Italy and Germany. While he did not make an appearance in either game, Frank believes he must be an option for Southgate in Qatar.

Ahead of Brentford's trip to Toney's former club Newcastle United, Frank said in a press conference: "I think for Ivan the most important thing is to perform every day at the training ground and then perform on Saturday against Newcastle, hopefully score a goal or two.

"Keep doing that and with his performances he needs to ask questions to Gareth Southgate.

"It is up to Gareth to take the decision over what he thinks is the best squad for the World Cup. I am sure he will take the best squad. Gareth wants to win the World Cup so he will bring the best and most competitive squad.

"If you ask me, I see Ivan every day and I am biassed but I think he should be there."

Brentford's trip to St James' Park comes a day after the one-year anniversary of the controversial Saudi Arabia-backed takeover of Newcastle.

At the time, the Magpies were languishing in the relegation zone under former boss Steve Bruce. Since then, Newcastle have taken 57 points in the top flight, with only the so called "big six" teams – Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham – winning more games (15).

For Frank, it would be a miraculous if Brentford manage to compete with Newcastle's financial strength over the coming seasons.

"If we have the money we have now, they have their money and we continue doing that, if we are the same level at the same time, it will be an even bigger miracle than it is now that we are competing," Frank said.

"Of course we know in football money talks. It is a very important part and that is one thing but the very good news is it is not only about money.

"Newcastle want to challenge that and there is no doubt they are aiming to be top six so maybe we need to start to talk about a top seven in the future. Put that aside, us being a bottom two budget club in the league, it is remarkable what we are doing."

Gareth Southgate believes England have grown stronger as a result of their poor form ahead of the World Cup, as he pledged to stand firm on his selections.

England suffered a humiliating relegation from the top tier of the Nations League last month, finishing their campaign with three points – and no wins – from six games.

The Three Lions begin their World Cup campaign against Iran on November 21, and their six-match winless run is their longest such sequence going into a major tournament.  

Southgate was jeered by England supporters in the aftermath of a 1-0 defeat to Italy on September 23 and has been criticised for standing by Manchester United's struggling defender Harry Maguire.

Speaking at Monday's Legends of Football event in aid of Nordoff Robbins Music, Southgate accepted criticism of his decisions, but maintained he must sometimes resist "popular appeal".

"I think everybody in the country can see we're trying to accomplish extraordinary things," he said. "To accomplish extraordinary things is incredibly difficult. 

"This is a job where every decision, every selection is questioned, debated, ridiculed. That's just by my postman, by the way!

"Column inches are full, airwaves are filled. As a manager, you're not going to get every decision right.

"But I have to be strong enough to withstand popular appeal for something and do what I really believe gives us the best chance to win. 

"If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, and blaming it on you. If you can trust yourself, when all men doubt you, but make allowance for their doubting too. That doubting, that noise that surrounds us is because people care. They're passionate. 

"They just want to win, and I understand that. And if we don't win for six matches, then quite rightly, I have to accept that criticism. 

"That's what goes with our job. If nobody cared or commented, then it wouldn't be the great and incredible challenge that it is."

England failed to score an open-play goal in their first five Nations League games, before coming from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 in last week's thrilling draw with Germany, but Southgate believes the team's poor run could benefit them heading to Qatar.

"Milan was painful. I knew walking over to our fans that it wasn't going to end well. But I wasn't going to take a backward step," Southgate added.

"I've enjoyed the warmth and the adulation, so you've got to ride with the discomfort as well.

"Against Germany, I think we showed what we're capable of, good and bad. It showed there is character there. As a team, I think we'll be better for that challenging period we've just been through.

"You wouldn't choose to go into a World Cup with the run of results we've had, but I actually think we're stronger for that and the players have had to take some ownership. 

"Those moments, like coming back from to 2-0 down and hearing the roof lift off Wembley, are hard to describe."

With England reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and finishing as runners-up at Euro 2020, expectations surrounding the Three Lions have undoubtedly risen.

"In seven weeks' time, I get to lead my country to another World Cup. We have players I'm proud to lead, who give us everything," Southgate said.

"We want to bring people together, create memories and history. I've said before the last two tournaments: if we can make people proud, we'll have had an amazing time.

"I know that the bar of what might be deemed success is raised and getting higher for us. But as a team, we have to focus on performance, and the rest will fall into place.

Jurgen Klopp does not understand why anybody would focus only on Trent Alexander-Arnold's defending when he has "world-class talent" on the ball.

Liverpool right-back Alexander-Arnold has been the subject of much debate this week after being left out of England's matchday squad to face Germany on Monday.

Reece James started the match and Kyle Walker came off the bench, while Kieran Trippier was among the substitutes.

James appears to be Gareth Southgate's preferred option in that position, but Walker has made 50 appearances under the Three Lions manager. Trippier has turned out 37 times for Southgate, starting in both the 2018 World Cup semi-final and Euro 2020 final.

That leaves Alexander-Arnold – often outstanding for Liverpool – as fourth-choice and looking highly unlikely to feature at the World Cup, even if selected in the 26-man squad.

Southgate handed Alexander-Arnold his international debut in 2018, but he has since earned just 17 caps for his country.

While the 23-year-old's creative abilities are unquestioned – he leads the England quartet in chances created (2.4) and expected assists (0.32) per 90 minutes in the Premier League in 2022 – there are doubts around his defending.

Klopp has accepted Alexander-Arnold has room for improvement, but ahead of Saturday's game against Brighton and Hove Albion, he also suggested "nobody mentions" when the Liverpool man defends well.

"It's like you have a list, bad defending and good defending, and bad defending [is] massive, and the good defending [list] is like you can't even see," he said.

"That's what I see, because I'm not dumb."

Klopp was also keen to point out some of Alexander-Arnold's shortcomings are due to Liverpool's approach, as they are "extremely brave" in their pressing and "the pitch is too big to be everywhere".

Yet even when Alexander-Arnold is directly at fault, his club manager believes there is too much focus on those shortcomings.

"There are other situations where he was not aware of the situation, where they pass the ball through him, where it was a challenge he should've won – true," Klopp said. "Every player in the league has these challenges.

"With him, you pick it out, analyse so easy. All the experts sitting there, 'in this situation, you see it's a weakness'.

"Honestly, I just don't get it, I just don't get that part of it – that we just accept that a world-class talent gets judged by the one thing he's not as world-class as in other things."

And Klopp added: "If he would not be a good defender, he wouldn't play."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits Trent Alexander-Arnold has "space for improvement" defensively when questioned over the full-back not featuring for England.

The 23-year-old was called up by Three Lions' boss Gareth Southgate for the fixtures against Italy and Germany, but failed to get on the pitch in either as Chelsea man Reece James played both matches.

While Alexander-Arnold has shown plenty of attacking ability over his career, registering 45 assists for Liverpool in 167 Premier League appearances, his defensive capabilities have been questioned.

And Klopp feels Alexander-Arnold could become more solid going backwards, telling reporters ahead of Liverpool's match against Brighton and Hove Albion: "I see him differently. People say he's not a good defender. That's not true.

"He is a good defender, but he doesn't always defend good. That's true. That's what we're working on. He's a young player, he's 23, and there's space for improvement definitely.

"We only discuss it on the level we discuss it because his offensive impact is so extreme. Is he always exceptional? No."

Klopp also feels the discussion over Alexander-Arnold's role in the England squad is harming their chances at the upcoming World Cup, after former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor said the defender should "retire" from international duty until Southgate left his position.

"We can now discuss selections until the World Cup starts. It's one of the reasons why you make massive stories of why the [England] team can't prepare properly," Klopp added.

"If you ask me for my honest opinion, it will create headlines, that's clear. Do you want that? It helps Germany maybe, but not England.

"If you want them to play a good World Cup, then don't cook it too hot. Otherwise, you discuss this until November, and don't let them work properly.

"I think you could see a little bit, England are slightly under pressure because they don't play to their full quality in this moment.

"Let them do the job, and criticise afterwards."

Eddie Howe has no interest in succeeding Gareth Southgate as England manager, with a move into the international game not appealing "at this moment in my life".

Three Lions boss Southgate has been hugely successful since his appointment in 2016, leading his team to the World Cup semi-finals, Nations League Finals and Euro 2020 final, but he heads into Qatar 2022 under pressure.

England are winless in six – their worst such sequence since 1993 and worst ever heading into a major tournament – and there have been calls for Southgate to move on.

As one of the leading English coaches in the Premier League, Newcastle United's Howe would appear an obvious candidate to replace him.

However, while praising Southgate, Howe said the England role was not one he would be interested in "in the short term", with his focus on Newcastle.

"I think Gareth's done an incredible job, I really do," Howe said on Friday. "I mean that from the bottom of my heart.

"I've been lucky enough to go in and see him work, I've spent time with him. I've got a lot of time for him and for Steve Holland and his team there.

"I think they've been amazing for England. I think you have to remember where England [were] when he took over and what he's done for the country.

"I never say never, I never say, 'no, it's not something I'd be interested in'. But certainly not in the short term. It's not on my radar at all. It's all Newcastle and investing and trying to make this team the best I can."

Explaining why that might be, Howe added: "I've always said I love the day-to-day coaching. I love being with my players on the training ground.

"In international football, you get that taken away for long periods. At this moment in my life, that's not something I want to do."

Howe still had an interest in England's Nations League matches against Italy and Germany, with Nick Pope starting in goal and Newcastle team-mate Kieran Trippier on Southgate's bench.

Pope, deputising for Jordan Pickford, made an awful error in the Germany game that gifted the visitors an equaliser at Wembley after England had recovered from two goals down to lead 3-2.

"[Pope] is in a good place," Howe said ahead of Saturday's game at Fulham. "He's aware how special those games are for him in his career.

"From where he's come from, to experience those moments is brilliant. But he's earned the right to get to the position in his career that he's at."

Howe described himself as "very proud" of Pope and backed his goalkeeper to recover.

"You need to be able to deal with mistakes. It's part of the job when you're in that position," the Newcastle coach added.

"Nick is a very calm, level-headed guy. He's incredibly focused. I've got no problem with him returning; I know he'll carry on where he left off for us."

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank believes Ivan Toney can "prove people wrong" after failing to get on the pitch in either of England's Nations League games over the international break.

Toney was left out of the matchday squad by Gareth Southgate for the 1-0 defeat to Italy and, while he was included in the 23 players chosen for the Germany match, he was not called upon off the bench.

The 26-year-old had been called up for the first time by Southgate after a superb start to the season in which he netted five times in Brentford's first six league games.

And Frank says Toney must use this disappointment to fuel his performances for the Bees, telling reporters: "Of course Ivan hoped to come on the pitch. 

"I think in life and football the way you get success is you can show resilience and come back from smaller setbacks.

"It is a minor setback, a minor disappointment, but you need to move forward and just prove people wrong by performing well and that's the only thing he can do.

"So it's actually relatively simple. But a little bit more difficult of course to do it day in day out. But Ivan has a strong mentality and he will do everything he can to perform well."

Emile Heskey believes Gareth Southgate should be given the chance to turn England's fortunes around after relegation from League A in the Nations League.

The Three Lions' manager has come in for criticism after his team finished bottom of Group 3, failing to win any of their six outings against Italy, Hungary and Germany (D3 L3).

With the World Cup in Qatar kicking off in less than two months, the pressure is on Southgate to deliver, though he did guide England to the semi-finals in Russia in 2018 before reaching the final of the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament last year.

Heskey – who made 62 appearances for England – thinks Southgate and his players can turn it around and can take positives from their 3-3 draw with Germany at Wembley on Monday.

Speaking to Stats Perform, the former Liverpool and Aston Villa striker said: "I think the draw against Germany did redeem [England] in some cases.

"I thought the fight they showed was fantastic to get it back to 3-2 because they could easily have given up at 2-0 [down]. But they fought back to make it 3-2 and then 3-3, obviously.

"Football has always fascinated me [because] we put no pressure on them, and [then] they get to a semi-final and a final, then we suddenly heap a load of pressure on them and you can see what's happening."

Prior to the six-goal thriller with Germany, England had failed to score with any of their previous 62 non-penalty shots, a run of seven hours and 30 minutes without a non-penalty goal.

Southgate's men are also winless in their last six games in all competitions, their longest run since April to June 1993 (also six). It is their longest ever winless run going into a major tournament.

"When you're not doing well, they're going to justify criticism, and you've got to accept that criticism. It's how you bounce back from that," Heskey added.

"None of these have turned into bad players overnight, and the manager isn't a bad manager overnight. I think you've got to give him the opportunity to turn it around and turn the fortune of the players around as well."

One of the concerns widely discussed has been whether Southgate knows his best team before they take on Iran, the United States and Wales in Group B at the World Cup, but Heskey pointed out selection headaches mean the manager has a number of credible options available to him.

"You could put it either way," he said. "It could be alarming, or it could be a good thing that we don't know the best 11 because players are coming in.

"You've even got Ivan Toney coming into the [last] squad... [Mason] Mount's played a lot of games and then come back in and scored.

"So it's always good to keep the manager on his toes. But you really should know who your starting 11 is coming up to a major tournament."

Jamie Carragher believes Harry Maguire's England place may now be untenable and thinks the defender must leave Manchester United to recapture his best form.

Maguire started United's first two games of the Premier League season – defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford – but has been relegated to the bench amid a four-game winning run for Erik ten Hag's men.

Maguire's lack of game-time at Old Trafford led to criticism of Gareth Southgate's decision to select him for England's Nations League ties against Italy and Germany, and the defender did not help his case with two nervous performances.

Having started as the Three Lions were relegated from League A with a meek 1-0 loss in Milan last week, Maguire gave away a penalty in Monday's 3-3 draw with Germany.

On Wednesday, former Liverpool and England defender Carragher said criticism of Maguire's performances was justified, writing in the Telegraph: "Harry Maguire should be angry.

"He should be angry that he has gone from England's best defender at the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Euros, where he was named in the team of the tournament, to being presented as a laughing stock.

"He should be angry that he has gone from a player England fans saw as 'one of their own' when singing his name incessantly during internationals, to someone who some supporters think it justified to boo whenever his name is announced in the stadium.

"He should be angry that he finds himself fighting to justify his place in England's World Cup squad on the back of being left in limbo at Manchester United.

"And he should also be angry when looking at himself and asking; 'how have I allowed it to come to this', when not so long ago he would have been alongside Harry Kane as one of the first names on Gareth Southgate's team sheet.

"No-one deserves the kind of mockery coming Maguire's way. Some of the criticism towards him is that which you would expect directed at bad apples – poor characters who undermine their clubs or teams. 

"Maguire is not that. But strong reactions are inevitable when you become an £80million player. 

"Criticism of his performance against Germany is valid and justified and Southgate must assess if Maguire is mentally right for a World Cup, able to show he can put all the issues behind him. 

"In the past, it is something Maguire has struggled with. How can the manager make such a big call before the opening game against Iran unless Maguire is playing for his club?

"'We've got to pick our best and experienced players unless we're in a situation where it is almost untenable,' Southgate said on Monday night. Unfortunately for Maguire, we may already be at that stage."

With Ten Hag preferring Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez at the heart of a new-look United defence, Carragher thinks the time has come for Maguire to call time on his spell at Old Trafford.

"Too often, it looks as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders, like he is a startled bunny more than the authoritative centre-back he was," Carragher added.

"I think it is too late at club level. I wrote last year he was fighting for his Manchester United career.  He needs this to be his final season at Old Trafford and start afresh. Now it is England's problem.

"When I watched Maguire in the last two games, I felt sorry for him. But that is not a good look for any sports person. Sympathy will not get him back where he was two years ago."

Having failed to win any of their last six matches, England are experiencing their longest winless run going into a major tournament, and their worst patch of form since another sequence of six games without victory in 1993.

England have the quality to win the World Cup and represent "scary" opponents for the United States, according to coach Gregg Berhalter.

The USA have been drawn alongside the Three Lions, as well as Wales and Iran, in Group B for this year's finals in Qatar.

England's two major tournaments under Gareth Southgate have seen them reach a World Cup semi-final in 2018 and finish as runners-up at Euro 2020, but the manager has come under scrutiny after a poor Nations League campaign.

England were relegated from League A after picking up just three points from their six games.

But USMNT coach Berhalter remains wary of England's quality, saying: "It's scary thinking about how we're going to beat them. We'll look at some of the games, look at some of their vulnerabilities and try to exploit that.

"For us, it's looking at the group as an entirety, not just focusing on England, because we know that's one of the games that makes up 33 per cent of the games we have in the opening round.

"Our job, our goal, is to finish in the top two and move on."

The USA held England to a 1-1 draw in their opening game at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, but Berhalter believes the Three Lions will be tougher opponents this time around as they are genuine contenders.

"What I would say is I don't know if the expectations have always been in line with the quality of the squad," Berhalter added.

"Back in 2010, realistically, I didn't think they had the squad that can win the World Cup, right? But now it's different. Now I think we all agree they have a squad that can win the World Cup.

"Gareth, in my opinion, has done a great job of helping the players cope with that pressure, using the jersey as a cape rather than a straitjacket and really giving them the freedom to play on the field.

"[He is] giving them the idea that they can represent their country in a positive way and make the country proud."

Luke Shaw had no grievances about being dropped by Manchester United in August, even agreeing that Erik ten Hag needed to change something.

Shaw started United's first two Premier League games of the season, defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and then Brentford.

The 4-0 loss to Brentford meant United finished a day bottom of the Premier League table for the first time in 30 years – 1992 was also the last time United had begun a league season with back-to-back defeats.

Shaw and Harry Maguire were the ones to pay the heaviest price. Neither has started any of the four league games since, all of which United won, while the left-back has not played a single minute in those games.

Despite a lack of action, both players featured for England during their two Nations League games in the past week and Shaw is hopeful of playing more regularly for United ahead of the World Cup, even if he accepts being dropped for Tyrell Malacia was not hugely surprising.

Asked by talkSPORT about playing more before Qatar 2022, Shaw said: "That's what everyone wants.

"I think Ten Hag, the boss, he knows my qualities, he knows what I'm capable of and we've had chats.

"It's understandable that – and I even agree – the start of the season wasn't good enough and he had to make changes. And I fully accept that, I accepted it.

"The only thing I can do is train hard and wait for my opportunities, whether that's in the cup games or the Premier League.

"Whatever I play in, I just have to be ready and play at the standard I should be at."

Shaw scored in England's 3-3 draw with Germany on Monday, a result that did little to ease the pressure on manager Gareth Southgate.

England's loss to Italy three days earlier confirmed their relegation from the top tier of the Nations League, but Shaw thinks the criticism of Southgate is unfair given what he has achieved in the job until now.

"You look at the results of the last two major tournaments and it's bizarre how people can attack him and say it's not good enough," Shaw added.

"At the moment we haven't won, we have to win a major tournament to be extremely successful, but we're heading in the right direction and he's guiding us in the right direction.

"From when he first came in, you've seen the difference in the England team to where we are now but of course the results recently haven't been good enough. We'll be ready in the World Cup."

England captain Harry Kane was "proud" of Harry Maguire for playing through injury towards the end of Monday's draw with Germany despite it being a nightmare match for the defender.

Centre-back Maguire has become a much-maligned figure at Manchester United, with his performances routinely called into question over the past 12 months or so.

That ultimately led to him being dropped by new manager Erik ten Hag in August after United lost their first two games of the new Premier League season – he has not started since in the top flight and the Red Devils have won four matches on the bounce.

England manager Gareth Southgate backed Maguire at the start of this international window, suggesting he would stake his reputation on the defender's selection before starting him in both Nations League games despite previous vows to pick players on form.

Serie A-winning Milan defender Fikayo Tomori was left out of the squad entirely on Monday while Maguire went on to endure a nightmare, with his individual errors contributing to England finding themselves 2-0 down.

England remarkably fought back to go 3-2 up with three goals in 12 minutes before Kai Havertz's second rescued a point for Germany, and while the focus was already on Maguire – who was later spotted limping through the mixed zone – Kane praised his character.

"Any individual mistake, you're going to be gutted. But we are a team, we will get behind each other," Kane said.

"They [Maguire and goalkeeper Nick Pope] will learn from [their errors] and they'll move on. They have been great for us every time they put the shirt on.

"H [Maguire] had a pretty decent injury there at the end, where he played another five, 10 minutes, on almost one leg.

"Great character from him [to keep playing], I'm really proud of him for that."

After the match, Maguire said sorry to supporters on Instagram following his errors.

The first was a poor pass out from the back that was intercepted by Jamal Musiala, whom he then clumsily fouled in the area. Ilkay Gundogan scored the penalty.

For the second goal, Maguire was robbed of possession – again, Musiala was his nemesis here – up the pitch and Germany sprung a rapid counter-attack that was rounded off by a gorgeous Havertz finish.

"Mistakes are part of the game, I apologise," Maguire wrote.

"Great fightback and spirit to get us back into the game by the lads. Take the positives and look forward to Qatar. The tough times will make us stronger."

Gareth Southgate hailed the "tremendous spirit" demonstrated by England, who he feels have come together and grown following their entertaining Nations League draw with Germany.

The Three Lions head coach has come under pressure recently following a difficult spell of form that culminated in relegation from League A after defeat by Italy on Friday.

Indeed, England have now gone six matches without a win for the first time since 1993. But they showed brilliant character against Germany on Monday, recovering from 2-0 down to lead 3-2 at Wembley, before Kai Havertz denied them victory.

And Southgate is confident the sticky patch will benefit his players as all eyes turn towards the World Cup, which sees the 1966 winners face Iran in their Group B opener on November 21.

"As a group, they have really come together this week," he told Channel 4. "It has been a tough period for team, but they have grown.

"To an extent, we are always going to face pressure, so we need to be exposed to pressure. We played a friendly against the Ivory Coast in March and they went down to 10 men, and it became a non-event and we learnt nothing.

"This week, we've learnt a huge amount. They've had to step forward and come together. It will benefit us in the long run.

"In the end, a couple of errors have cost us the goals, but I'll focus on the fact they played with tremendous spirit and showed a belief that we haven't shown in the last few games. I thought the crowd saw that and rose to that."

Meanwhile, captain Harry Kane insisted there were plenty of positives for he and his team-mates to build on heading into Qatar.

The Tottenham forward marked his 50th start as England captain – becoming the fifth player to achieve the feat – with his 51st international goal, which moves him two away from equalling Wayne Rooney's all-time Three Lions record.

"The mentality and fight of the team was shown out there today. We didn't get the win, but we can be proud of what we did," Kane said.

"The boys have been under pressure with recent results and we all came out here with a point to prove. But there are lessons; we can still learn from the mistakes we made, but we scored three goals and I feel like this will put us in a positive mindset ahead of the World Cup.

"We've upped our game as we've gone along in the last two major tournaments. We dust ourselves down. We know we have to improve but there isn't that much time now with England before that first game [against Iran].

"But we'll go away with our clubs and hopefully everyone goes away fit, strong and is ready to come back in November."