Mason Mount and James Maddison in squad, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieran Trippier return, Kyle Walker not included
Thursday 29 August 2019 23:37, UK
Tyrone Mings and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have received their first England call-ups for the upcoming European Qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo.
Mason Mount and James Maddison are included in the 25-man squad, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returns having last played for England in March 2018.
Kieran Trippier, who left Tottenham for Atletico Madrid, is also recalled having missed out on the Nations League finals in June - but there is no place for 29-year-old Kyle Walker.
Asked about his right-back selections, England manager Gareth Southgate said: "We're really looking at him [Wan-Bissaka] and Trent [Alexander-Arnold] - that's the reason, on this occasion, Kyle Walker's not with us - we think it's an opportunity to have a look at two young players.
"We talked about the number of games we've got ahead of next summer, we think we need to see them quickly and we wanted to reintegrate Kieran Trippier back into the group so he knows he is still on our radar.
Kyle Walker has started the season really well so I've explained the rationale to him.
"He's had a huge move to Atletico Madrid, frankly, that goes under the radar here - and has started the season really well. It is an area of the pitch we have a lot of quality.
"Kyle Walker has started the season really well so I've explained the rationale to him. They all have completely different strengths and we're looking forward to helping some of them develop."
John Stones and Dele Alli miss out through injury, while Jack Butland has been dropped for the first time since last year's World Cup. Everton midfielder Fabian Delph also fails to make the cut.
Southgate and assistant Steve Holland watched Mings, 26, in Villa's 2-0 win over Everton last Friday.
"I wanted to see how he adapted to the Premier League and a different level of forward," said Southgate, after admitting he watched Mings in the Championship last season.
"He's an interesting case because he is in to the game a bit later than others. has not played as much as a centre-back, left-back at Ipswich, bad injury at Bournemouth so there's a lot of room for improvement with him.
"I really like his leadership qualities, I think he is an outstanding athlete and very composed with the ball. I'm looking forward to working with him because we see a lot of potential and room for growth given the number of games he has actually played."
Oxlade-Chamberlain, also 26, has impressed since returning to Liverpool's starting line-up against Southampton this month. He missed almost the entire 2018/19 season with a knee injury.
Mount and Maddison were called up to the senior national squad for the first time in October 2018 but did not make their senior debuts and were left out of the squad for the UEFA Nations League Finals in June.
But Mount, 20, has since become a key part of Frank Lampard's plans at Chelsea - with two goals in his first three Premier League appearances.
Maddison - 22 and no longer eligible for England U21s - created 100 goal-scoring chances in the Premier League last season, more than any other player in the top division. He already has two assists this term.
Holland watched both midfielders in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Leicester at Stamford Bridge this month and was suitably impressed.
England are top of Group A after wins over Montenegro and Czech Republic. They play Bulgaria on Saturday, September 7, with the game against Kosovo on Tuesday, September 10.
Goalkeepers: Tom Heaton (Aston Villa), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Leicester), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Michael Keane (Everton), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United)
Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Maddison (Leicester), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Liverpool), Declan Rice (West Ham), Harry Winks (Tottenham)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Callum Wilson (Bournemouth)
