Anthony Gordon
Given the level of criticism aimed at England's stagnant attacking play during the Euros, Gordon's dynamic performances during the international break could offer a solution.
The Newcastle winger played a key role in both matches against Ireland and Finland, helping the team with purposeful runs in behind the opposition’s backline.
He linked up well with fellow Scouser Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was playing in his familiar right-back position for England for the first time in a while, providing Lee Carsley's side with a much-needed attacking option.
Gordon played 143 minutes across the two games, maintaining a 90% passing accuracy throughout and was unlucky not to score his first senior goal.
These performances will have only strengthened his case for a starting spot in the long-run.
Nick Pope
Pope returned to the England squad for the first time since May 2023 as an unused substitute in both Nations League matches.
Despite having 10 caps and two World Cup squad appearances to his name, it is unclear who Carsley will choose as his no.2 behind established first-choice Jordan Pickford.
Tino Livramento
Livramento earned his first senior England call-up but did not make an appearance in either of the two matches.
He enjoyed reuniting with some of his former academy teammates, such as Levi Colwill and Marc Guehi, but he will be eager for his first senior cap soon.
Lewis Hall (U21s)
Hall was a standout performer for England’s U21s in their win over Austria, claiming the Man of the Match award.
He provided two assists and created two big chances, completing 90% of his passes.
While his attacking output was impressive, there are still concerns over his physicality, having lost possession 11 times.
Let’s hope he can carry this form into the match against Wolves on Sunday after a mixed start to the season.
Trevan Sanusi (U18s)
Sanusi continues to show promise, scoring in a 1-1 draw for England's U18 side against Switzerland.
The young winger demonstrated why Newcastle fought so hard to prise him away from Birmingham City last Summer, beating the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool to his signature.
Italy
Sandro Tonali
Tonali was instrumental in Italy's 1-3 win over France at the Parc des Princes, providing a clever assist for Federico Di Marco’s stunning goal.
He played all 90 minutes and followed it up by playing every minute of Italy’s 2-1 win against Israel in Budapest.
His recent performances have quickly put concerns to rest about his return after the betting scandal which kept him out for 10 months.
Manager Luciano Spalletti said “We can say we’ve finally got a magnificent midfielder back… He’s been fantastic. I had no doubts.”
Sweden
Alexander Isak
Isak enjoyed a stellar international break, scoring three goals and forming a dangerous partnership with Sporting Lisbon’s talismanic Viktor Gyökeres.
His standout performance came in a 5-0 win against Azerbaijan, where he received a 9.7 rating on SofaScore, scoring twice and winning a penalty.
Interestingly, he linked up with NUFC target Anthony Elanga who in typical footballer fashion downplayed any talk of a move to the North-East. One to look out for maybe.
Brazil
Bruno Guimarães
Going into the international break, Brazil were hoping to quickly forget their quarter-final exit at the hands of Uruguay in this year’s edition of the Copa America.
However, despite a 1-0 win against Ecuador where Bruno played 62 minutes, the Seleção lost 1-0 to Paraguay, registering their fourth loss in eight matches.
Bruno’s performances for Brazil were solid, though he admittedly has struggled to replicate his club form for the national side.
The Brazilian boasted an impressive 95% passing accuracy and won 66% of his duels against Paraguay.
However, he and others have been criticised as making up part of a “soft underbelly” of midfielders whose quality does not compare to Brazilian teams of the past (somewhat harsh if you ask me).
Greece
Odysseas Vlachodimos
Vlachodimos continued his excellent international form with two clean sheets in wins over Ireland and Finland.
The Greek goalkeeper has now kept four clean sheets in his last five appearances, giving Newcastle fans reason to eagerly anticipate Greece’s visit to Wembley on October 10th, where they can catch a glimpse of their end of the PSR deal that sent Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest.
Slovakia
Martin Dúbravka
Dúbravka mirrored his Greek counterpart with two clean sheets for Slovakia in victories over Azerbaijan (2-0) and Estonia (0-1).
His solid performances in the Nations League group stages keep Slovakia in a strong position.
Denmark
William Osula (U21s)
Osula found the net for Denmark's U21s during the international break, but with Callum Wilson returning from injury, it remains to be seen whether Osula will earn any competitive minutes for Newcastle this season.
Paraguay
Miguel Almirón
Paraguay enjoyed a successful international period.
Almirón played 82 minutes in Paraguay’s 0-0 draw against Uruguay and 86 minutes in their gritty 1-0 win over Brazil.
He worked tirelessly on the left-hand side and was key in limiting Brazil to only three shots on target.
His industrious play was typical of the energetic winger, helping Paraguay earn valuable points in World Cup qualifying.
