JAMAAL LASCELLES is going head-to-head with Burnley’s James Tarkowski for a place in the England squad for this month’s friendlies with Holland and Italy.

With a number of his senior centre-halves either injured or chronically short of match practice, Gareth Southgate is set to name at least one uncapped defender in his squad for this month’s matches, which represent his final opportunity to see his players in action on the international stage before he names his provisional squad for the World Cup finals.

He has watched Lascelles on a number of occasions with Newcastle this season, and is known to have been impressed with the 24-year-old’s improvement since returning to the Premier League.

However, Southgate is also a fan of Tarkowski, and watched the Burnley defender from the directors’ box at Turf Moor last weekend as the Clarets came from behind to beat Everton.

Tarkowski, recently returned from injury, has been in fine form. He has not represented England at any level to date, but is being tipped for a place in the squad that Southgate is due to announce next Thursday.

There is still a chance that Southgate could select both Tarkowski and Lascelles, with the latter having been widely recognised as Newcastle’s most consistent and effective player this season.

Lascelles’ leadership qualities could also make him a valuable asset at international level, and Southgate has experience of working with the Magpies skipper from his time as England Under-21 boss.

England’s defensive plans are in a state of flux at the moment, with a number of leading players either unavailable or out of form.

Gary Cahill has barely played for Chelsea this season, while Phil Jones has missed Manchester United’s last three matches because of a recurring injury problem. Joe Gomez, who was so impressive in November’s friendlies, finds himself on the fringe of things at Liverpool, while Danny Rose has been struggling for game time at Tottenham, with Mauricio Pochettino preferring Ben Davies.

Southgate wants to play with three centre-halves in Russia this summer, and John Stones and Harry Maguire both look assured of a starting spot provided they stay fit.

The third central-defensive spot is up for grabs though, with Southgate seemingly reluctant to recall Chris Smalling despite his impressive recent displays with Manchester United.

If Lascelles was to be selected for this month’s double-header, he would have an excellent chance of forcing his way into England’s World Cup plans, such is the lack of viable alternatives.

The former Nottingham Forest trainee has matured markedly in the last couple of seasons, with Rafael Benitez’s decision to hand him the captain’s armband having been thoroughly vindicated.

From challenging his more experienced colleagues in the latter stages of the relegation season to leading by example as Newcastle won the Championship title last term, he has embraced the challenge of being a captain.

His performances on the pitch have also improved, and having been named on the substitutes’ bench for the opening game of the season against Tottenham, he has rapidly become the most important member of Benitez’s back four.

He will be holding the defence together when Southampton visit St James’ Park tomorrow, with the game between the two relegation rivals likely to prove pivotal in both clubs’ battles against the drop.

Newcastle are a point clear of their opponents, and a win could potentially take them as high as 13th. Lose, though, and the Magpies will find themselves in the bottom three if Crystal Palace spring a surprise in the evening kick-off at Chelsea.

With no game on the following weekend because of Tottenham’s involvement in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, it is surely imperative Newcastle win tomorrow before embarking on a three-week break.

“We’ve put the Liverpool game behind us, and we’re looking forward to the next two (Newcastle also host Huddersfield immediately after the international break) now,” said Lascelles. “We've got Southampton on Saturday, and we have to be really confident going into it.

“They’re still a tough team, but we’ve been playing some really good football recently and the boys are really going to look forward to playing against them.

“We will get our heads down in training and listen to the boss, refresh and have a proper go at the weekend. We have to get three points against Southampton. We'll set out to win the game, go for it and make sure we do win, because we need to with the break after.”