Newcastle United captain Dan Burn is in line for a shock England start in a new-look back four against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday night, after his imposing presence in training impressed head coach Thomas Tuchel.
Jarell Quansah has been guaranteed his place in the Three Lions' defence, but Tuchel admits he faces a major dilemma over who will partner him, with Burn firmly in contention.
Defensive reshuffle forced by injuries
Marc Guehi has pulled out of the squad through injury, while Ezri Konsa is hoping to return for the match against Spain. Burn was a late replacement for Guehi, and Bournemouth's James Hill was drafted into the squad amid Konsa's struggles.
Tuchel has voiced concerns over whether Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, one of the original names in the party, would be able to adapt to England's style of play.
Tuchel explains his thinking
Tuchel said: "It's not our favourite situation because of course we would have liked Marc and Ezri, they were key players for us. We need a partner for Jarell, basically. And then Jarell needs to step up on his level.
"I wanted to build this strong core in the central defence with the both of them and this partnership. And improve it, even.
"We're forced now to find a new solution and as always if you have such crucial partnerships on the pitch, like central defenders, it's not easy for them to straight away connect with each other and then connect with the idea of football and then connect with a new goalkeeper behind them.
"We need to be fair and need to put it in perspective once they do it because it will be a new pair. Jarrad Branthwaite is doing very well but it's a very different style of play for him from Everton towards us.
"You can see that Dan Burn is straight away a big voice in training and is more used to the style with Newcastle from the last two seasons with Eddie where they followed in a high press and to man-man.
"And of course he was with us at the World Cup so he is used a bit more to our style of play. On the right side we will have Jarrell Quansah and James.
"It's very likely that Jarell plays because he played against Czechia in this position. It's his favourite position anyway and we have good competition on the right full-back side."
What this means for the team
Burn, who was not named in the original squad, now appears to be the favourite to complete the back four. His experience with Newcastle's high-pressing, man-to-man style under Eddie Howe, along with his time with England at the World Cup, appears to give him an edge over Branthwaite for the Croatia clash.
