Gareth Southgate includes new names in England squad

England manager Gareth Southgate has included Ollie Watkins and Sam Johnstone in his squad for the first time.

England, who return to action with three World Cup qualifying matches this month, are without any Liverpool players, with Jordan Henderson injured and Trent Alexander-Arnold dropped.

There were recalls for Jesse Lingard, Luke Shaw, and John Stones, who are in contention to feature for England against San Marino on 25 March.

The Three Lions will then travel to Albania for a fixture on 28 March, before heading back to Wembley for a final qualifying match against Poland on 31 March. 

Lingard, who is currently on loan at West Ham United, last featured for England in June 2019 and was a surprise inclusion in Southgate’s 26-player squad.

“Jesse, of the three, is a bit more fortunate to be in,” said Southgate. “Luke and John have performed over a period of time.

“We’ve got injuries in the attacking areas that have opened up an opportunity for Jesse but, I have to say, his performances for West Ham have been excellent.

“Ideally, you’d be saying you have to do it for a little bit longer but that’s not been the option this time around.”

17-year-old midfielder Jude Bellingham was also handed a call up by Southgate but could be forced to withdraw due to coronavirus rules in Germany. Jadon Sancho, Bellingham’s Borussia Dortmund teammate, misses out through injury. 

Jordan Pickford and Jack Grealish were also ruled out due to injury.

Southgate praised 39-cap Stones for his improvement under Pep Guardiola this season, calling his return to form “a huge plus for us.” 

John deserves huge credit for turning that around and finding a level of consistency. It is great to have him back.

– Gareth Southgate

“John has played a lot of internationals for us,” Southgate said. “For a period, we were not sure if he was going to be able to recapture that form.

“When you invest that much time and as many caps in players like that and he disappears, it is a huge disappointment.

“John deserves huge credit for turning that around and finding a level of consistency. It is great to have him back.”

Southgate admitted that Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford was very close to a spot in the squad and insisted that he remains in contention.

“There are a number of positions in this squad that there were some real close calls on. We felt we wanted an extra striker,” added Southgate.

“Both Ollie and Patrick, their goals have been good. We like the personalities of both. Ollie is a player that we have had less interaction with in the past. It’s going to be good to get to know him.

“We like his pressing, the speed and runs in behind. He’s got some improvement to make in linking the game but, for his first season in the Premier League at a big club, he’s done exceptionally well.”

On his decision to drop Alexander-Arnold, the England boss said: “I don’t think he has played to the level he found in the last couple of years but I think he is getting close to that now,” said Southgate. “He has taken steps in the right direction.

“I have made that same call to Kyle [Walker] and Kieran [Trippier] in the past and their response was a good one. I am certain Trent will play a big part in the future.”

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Manchester United), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Nick Pope (Burnley).

Defenders: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jesse Lingard (West Ham, on loan from Manchester United), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).

Forwards: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).