England have made medical checks on Cole Palmer as Thomas Tuchel considers whether to select the Chelsea forward in his next squad.
The 24-year-old missed all four games during the previous international window with a minor injury.
He completed 90 minutes for Chelsea against Brentford before those matches, and started for the Blues in the first game afterwards.
Tuchel, who names his squad to face Croatia and Spain on Friday, said at the time that Palmer was “playing with discomfort and pain” but was “missing too many opportunities” with England.
Whether he is recalled will be a key theme on Friday. While it is normal for England medical staff to check on players under consideration, it also underlines that Palmer remains on Tuchel’s radar despite his stark comments in September.
In addition to deciding whether to select Palmer, head coach Tuchel has a number of other dilemmas to resolve.
Bukayo Saka’s injury absence opens the door to another attacker, with his Arsenal team-mate Noni Madueke pushing for a recall following a string of impressive performances.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has not played since mid-October and is not fit for selection, while Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah is a major injury doubt.
Defenders Ben White and Djed Spence are pushing for recalls after missing out on the previous squad through injury.
The likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and many others are now stonewall selections – but the intrigue is around the remaining few spots still seemingly up for grabs.
Will some old faces earn a recall or will there be new faces soon pulling on the England shirt? BBC Sport runs down some of the potential candidates for selection.
There is a lack of number nines in the English game and the job of being Harry Kane’s understudy is harder than it sounds.
The England captain has just won the Ballon d’Or, likes to play almost every minute for his country and is the captain, record goalscorer and arguably the best player in Tuchel’s side.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been selected in the squads before and since the World Cup but, despite doing well for Leeds, it has not quite clicked for him under Tuchel and he was given just 15 minutes in two substitute appearances in the last window.
Tuchel has started to use Bellingham as the back-up to Kane, but he could opt for more of a prospect in his squad in this shorter window and turn to Lankshear.
The 21-year-old striker, who like Kane started at Tottenham, was sold to Middlesbrough this summer for £20m and has scored 15 goals in all competitions so far this campaign.
He has scored 13 goals in as many games in the Championship, helping Middlesbrough to the top of the division.
He only made his debut for the England Under-21s during the last international window and scored in that game so it would be quite a rise for a player who is not in the Premier League.
Tuchel is aware of Lankshear and with a lack of number nines across the age groups it could be an interesting option for a manager who is not afraid of making big calls.
He did miss Middlesbrough’s loss to Wrexham on Wednesday with a tweaked hamstring but could return in time for Saturday.
