Gareth Southgate to experiment with Marcus Rashford as he laments England's lack of midfield options

Southgate was forced to play Eric Dier and Jake Livermore in central midfield

Southgate will look to the youth sides for options (Getty)

With international management, the issue is often just improvising with the qualities of your squad as much as impressing with the qualities you have as a coach, and it was a puzzle that was all too pronounced for Gareth Southgate this week as he continues to try and find systems that optimise exactly what England have.

The 46-year-old said he had planned to go with Marcus Rashford in a different role in England’s 2-2 draw with Scotland on Saturday, but that it did not fully work out in training. The Manchester United teenager played on the wing at Hampden Park and was eventually hauled off for goalscorer Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a match when he generally looked isolated, but Southgate felt the experience was good for his development and stated that Rashford doesn’t yet need to be confined to one position.

The England manager conceded that he has to further think about his central midfield, too, amid injuries and a general paucity of options.

Despite the side’s progress under Southgate, it has been the general problem for so many of his predecessors in just getting a team fit, but the manager feels Rashford’s flexibility is a positive when asked whether he had considered playing him at No 9.

“We had a serious thought about changing shape but didn’t like the way it looked in the training session and decided that to get more attacking players on the pitch, that was the better way to go today,” Southgate said of Rashford. “We are always looking at who’s in form, who’s playing well, how do we get the best out what we have got, always open to trying different things.

“I think at this stage of his development, it is a great game for him to be involved in, to be involved in the build-up to a game like this, the intensity of it. He’s had incredible experiences throughout the season.

“But I don’t think it’s important at this particular time that he is pinned down to one position. He has the ability - and has had right through his youth career - to play wide and play central. He has recognised that, talking to him. It is a good opportunity for him to learn the game and get a broader view of the game.

“The reality is … who knows what his best position will be in the end? We all have a feel that it will be as a nine but he is a player that can beat players from wide areas and, for us, we thought it gave us another goalscoring threat coming into the game. I don’t see it as a problem at this stage.”

Southgate did admit there is some “concern” about central midfield. The manager ended up fielding Eric Dier and Jake Livermore in the middle, in a match where it seemed England were crying out for a controlling passer.

Livermore impressed Southgate wih his performance (Getty)

“We’ve obviously gone into this game without Jack [Wilshere], [Jordan] Henderson, [Danny] Drinkwater, [Fabian] Delph if you are looking at English players playing. There’s no-one else. You are talking about [Michael] Carrick and [Gareth] Barry so that is the concern in terms of numbers of players and that is part of the challenge. In terms of the task that we have got, that bit can’t be underestimated. But we have to hope there are some young players in tune under-21s and under-20s that can add to that. We have got talent coming through, they need opportunities.

“But I have got to say I thought Jake was excellent today. We asked him to fulfil a specific role, we could have gone with a more attacking player in that position, but with the forwards we had and the full-backs we wanted to get forward, we had to have someone to do a disciplined job.”

The Independent understands that Southgate has spoken to players like Chelsea’s Nathaniel Chalobah and Lewis Baker and told them they have a chance of the 2018 World Cup if they can get regular club football next season.