England head coach Gareth Southgate has announced his squad for next week’s European Championship qualifiers. The Three Lions will take on Italy at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Thursday 23rd March. England will then welcome Ukraine on Sunday 26th March in their second Group C qualifier.
Southgate has reintroduced Ben Chilwell and Reece James to the fold after the Chelsea pair’s respective injuries. There are also recalls for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi and Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
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The inclusion of the latter will be a surprise to some, considering Toney is facing a number of FA charges for allegedly breaking betting rules. When quizzed, Southgate responded, “I don’t know on what basis we wouldn’t pick him.” Elaborating on the striker’s call-up, Southgate added, “The fact is he is available for his club and there has not been a trial or judgement yet.”
Ben White’s title-chasing displays at Arsenal have not prevented the defender from missing out in a surprise omission. Raheem Sterling’s Stamford Bridge struggles see the forward drop out. There is also no place in the line-up for Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Here is the England squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Maddison (Leicester City), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (West Ham United)
Forwards: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford)
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