LONDON, May 10: Mercurial midfielder Paul Gascoigne returned to the England fold when he was named to the National squad for upcoming matches against South Africa and Poland and a four-nation tournament in France yesterday. Gascoigne was included in coach Glenn Hoddle's 27-man roster for the May 24 exhibition against South Africa in Manchester, the May 31 World Cup qualifier in Poland and the June tournament in France which also includes the host nation, Italy and Brazil.

Gascoigne damaged his ankle in January and has missed England's last three internationals. During his layoff, he continued to make headlines for his erratic off-the-field behavior, including the breakup of his marriage and an incident where he allegedly slapped a woman in London.

``This is a very critical period for him,'' Hoddle said. ``I think he realizes that. He just wants to get back playing for England again. He wants to put his game back together again.''

Despite question marks about Gascoigne's fitness and reliability, Hoddle has been under pressure to bring him back to provide some creativity in the midfield something which was sorely lacking in England's 2-0 win over Georgia in a World Cup qualifier on April 30.

Left off the squad by Hoddle was former England captain David Platt, signalling a probable end to the international career of the 31-year-old Arsenal midfielder.

Platt's Arsenal teammate, striker Paul Merson, was recalled after missing games against Mexico and Georgia with injuries.

One surprise selection was that of Manchester United's Paul Scholes. The 22-year-old has been in and out of United's lineup, making just 19 starts this season. Scholes joins four other youngsters from Manchester United brothers Philip and Gary Neville, David Beckham and Nicky Butt, along with veteran defender Gary Pallister.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.