England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce has named five new players in his 25-man squad for games against Iceland and Belgium
Five new faces in England youth team, but Welbeck and Jones left out
England Under 21 manager Stuart Pearce has named five new players in his 25-man squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Iceland and Belgium, but has not included Manchester United duo Danny Welbeck and Phil Jones.
Crystal Palace's Nathaniel Clyne, Brighton's Lewis Dunk, Barnsley's Jacob Butterfield, Tottenham's Tom Carroll and Middlesbrough's Alex Nimely will all get their chance to make their debut later this month.
But forward Welbeck and defender Jones, both of whom have already played for the England senior team and have impressed Fabio Capello, have been left out.
The Young Lions will host Iceland in Group 8 at the Weston Homes Community Stadium in Colchester on November 10th and will play against Belgium away four days later.
Pearce, who has led England to three wins out of three so far in the qualifying campaign after wins against Azerbaijan, Iceland and Norway, is looking forward to continue their 100 per cent record.
Fantastic achievement
"We would have taken four points from those before the game so to come back with six out of six is a fantastic achievement, especially when you consider the adversity that led into the Norway game with three players picking up injuries," explained the 49-year-old.
"But there were no excuses and it really galvanised the group. Their attitude is fantastic, and in this clutch of players we have some very solid individuals, who have a great approach and a great attitude. I was impressed with them all.
"We're fortunate that we got two tricky away games out of the way, but we have to maximise that at home and make sure there are no slip-ups. With only one team certain of a place in the play-offs, dropping any points in the group puts you under real pressure."
England Under 21s squad in full
Goalkeepers
Ben Amos (Manchester United), Jack Butland (Cheltenham Town - loan from Birmingham City), Jason Steele (Middlesbrough)
Defenders
Nathan Baker (Aston Villa), Ryan Bennett (Peterborough United), Matthew Briggs (Fulham), Nathaniel Clyne (Crystal Palace), Craig Dawson (West Bromwich Albion), Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jon Flanagan (Liverpool), Martin Kelly (Liverpool), Adam Smith (MK Dons - loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders
Ross Barkley (Everton), Jacob Butterfield (Barnsley), Tom Carroll (Tottenham Hotspur), Gary Gardner (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jason Lowe (Blackburn Rovers), Josh McEachran (Chelsea), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Jack Rodwell (Everton)
Forwards
Nathan Delfouneso (Aston Villa), Alex Nimely (Middlesbrough - loan from Manchester City), Marvin Sordell (Watford), Connor Wickham (Sunderland)
Standby List
Joe Bennett (Middlesbrough), Declan Rudd (Norwich City), Jonjo Shelvey (Blackpool - loan from Liverpool), Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur), Dan Gosling (Newcastle United)
