England have named a 25-man squad to face Bulgaria and Kosovo in two key EURO 2020 qualifiers in September.
The headline additions include Tyrone Mings, Mason Mount, James Maddison and Aaron Wan-Bissaka who are all set for their international debuts, while Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has left Kyle Walker out of the squad.
“We lack some experience in certain positions but we have to keep evolving. We can’t stand still. There are young players coming through that we need to integrate,” Southgate said.
John Stones, Dele Alli, Jack Butland and Fabian Delph have all been left out of the squad, with Alli still recovering from injury.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has returned to the squad after his lengthy spell out with injury, while Tom Heaton and Nick Pope join Jordan Pickford as the three goalkeepers.
Mings’ first England call up caps a remarkable rise after being sent out on loan to Aston Villa by Bournemouth last season. He has since led Villa to promotion to the Premier League with a string of fine defensive displays, and he’s starred in his first three games in the top-flight for Villa after a permanent move this summer.
Mount is also in line for his debut after a red-hot start as a regular at Chelsea, while Maddison has been rewarded after his impressive displays for Leicester City over the past 12 months.
Wan-Bissaka has impressed after his big money move from Crystal Palace to Man United this summer and the fact he’s kept Kyle Walker out of this squad shows just how much he’s impressed Southgate.
England host Bulgaria on Sept. 7 at Wembley Stadium, then host Kosovo at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium on Sept. 10.
Goalkeepers: Tom Heaton, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Chilwell, Joe Gomez, Michael Keane, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Danny Rose, Kieran Trippier, Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Midfielders: Ross Barkley, Jordan Henderson, James Maddison, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Declan Rice, Harry Winks
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Callum Wilson
