Leicester midfielder James Maddison has been named in England’s 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Manager Gareth Southgate has also selected Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Newcastle striker Callum Wilson, Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker and Arsenal defender Ben White.
But AC Milan centre-back Fakiyo Tomori, Brentford striker Ivan Toni and West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen missed out.
England will face Iran in their World Cup opener on November 21 (13:00 GMT).
They are in Group B with Wales and the United States.
Manchester City midfielder Colin Phillips, despite recently being out for two months with a shoulder problem, is in, as is centre-back Harry Maguire, who has struggled to get a game for Manchester United this season. Who is
However, Maguire’s club-mate Jadon Sancho has not made the squad.
England Squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Eric Dier (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Conor Cody (Everton), Ben White (Arsenal), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Colin Phillips (Manchester City).
Forwards: James Maddison (Leicester), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford ( Manchester (United)
Maddison form Rewarded
Maddison’s inclusion is a reward for his excellent form for Leicester this season.
He has been instrumental in the Foxes’ revival after a poor start to the season and has six goals and four assists in 12 Premier League games.
His only cap for England came almost three years ago today – in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro when he played 35 minutes.
“He’s playing really well,” Southgate said.
“He’s a good player. We’ve always said he’s a good player. He’s earned the right. We think he can do something different than the other attacking players we have.
“He’s playing like any attacking player in this country and he’s a little bit different from the others.”
We think we have everything covered – Southgate
Walker has proved his fitness at Southgate after undergoing groin surgery and not playing for more than a month.
The England boss has also put his faith in Phillips, despite the midfielder’s injury-plagued season. Phillips, who has undergone shoulder surgery, returned to action as a second-half substitute in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Rashford has not played for England since the Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy, but the Manchester United forward has scored seven goals in all competitions this season.
Newcastle striker Wilson, who has scored six goals in 10 games this season, is among the Three Lions’ main striker options for the World Cup alongside Tottenham’s England captain Harry Kane.
But, like Brentford’s Toney and West Ham’s Bowen, Roma striker Tammy Abraham has been overlooked.
“We want to make sure we have the right balance of the squad,” Southgate said.
“A team in this day and age is more important than ever with five substitutes. You also want different options for different moments of matches and different stages of the tournament.
“We have had to cover some players who are not fully match fit so having 26 players means you can take some risks.
“We think there’s a balance. We think we have everything covered.”
