England manager Gareth Southgate has called up uncapped West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen for the Nations League games with Hungary, Germany and Italy.
Bowen has scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists for the Hammers this season.
The 25-year-old was in contention for the previous England squad in March but was ruled out by a fractured foot bone.
Leicester City right-back James Justin is named for the first time and Fikayo Tomori is recalled for June’s matches after helping AC Milan win Serie A.
Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips and Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier also return after injury.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is not named among the midfielders after a heavy workload in a season that will only end on Saturday in the Champions League final, with Southgate saying “I don’t need to know any more about him”.
The England boss suggested that was also his reason for leaving out Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier, saying the 28-year-old was “definitely in our thinking”.
There is also no place for Henderson’s Liverpool team-mate Joe Gomez, so Trent Alexander-Arnold is the only representative of a Reds squad looking to complete a treble of cups this season when they face Real Madrid in Paris.
As Southgate indicated would be the case, Manchester City’s Kyle Walker returns to the squad despite not having played in the Premier League since mid-April because of an ankle problem.
Southgate said he has selected 11 defenders in his squad because of doubts over the fitness of some.
“It is a bit of a minefield, in terms of players who have missed football and are coming back from injuries,” he said. “Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell haven’t played at all. Marc Guehi is a doubt.
“Fikayo has had a very good season with AC Milan and I talked in March about wanting to have a look at some of the young centre-backs coming through and some of these guys are slightly ahead of Tyrone [Mings], who has always played well for us.
“At the same time we have to make opportunities for good young players to have a look at them.”
| England’s Nations League fixtures | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Venue |
| Saturday, 4 June | Hungary | Puskas Arena, Budapest |
| Tuesday, 7 June | Germany | Allianz Arena, Munich |
| Saturday, 11 June | Italy | Molineux, Wolverhampton |
| Tuesday, 14 June | Hungary | Molineux, Wolverhampton |
Another Italy-based player, Tammy Abraham, is included after a stellar season under Jose Mourinho at Roma, for whom he has scored 27 goals.
The former Chelsea striker is preferred to Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a group of forwards that also includes Manchester City title-winning trio Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling.
Southgate has resisted a plea from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta not to include 20-year-old forward Bukayo Saka, who has played a part in every league game for the Gunners in 2021-22.
“I think Mikel Arteta knows we look after players well,” said the England boss. “We’ve given all the players a week off this week, which not everyone has done, but we feel that has worked well for us.
“We’ve had a good discussion around Bukayo Saka and all the players from Arsenal. All the players are carrying niggles after a long season, but they all want to be here.”
Jadon Sancho, who did not feature for Manchester United in the last month of the season because of tonsillitis, also misses out, as does his club-mate Marcus Rashford, who has struggled for form throughout this campaign.
Another notable absentee is Leicester’s James Maddison, who won the Foxes player of the season award after 17 goals and 11 assists in all competitions. The 25-year-old’s last cap was almost three years ago.
“He has finished the season very well,” added Southgate. “He is obviously scoring goals but we just feel we are very happy with the players that have been with us.
“He is competing with Mason Mount and Phil Foden and these types of players in the role where he is at his best. It’s one of the positions where there is a lot of strength in depth and you may have to leave players out who may be equally as deserving.”
Other players omitted from the previous squad include defenders Tyrick Mitchell and Kyle Walker-Peters as well as forwards Emile Smith Rowe and Ollie Watkins.
West Ham forward Bowen began his career with Hereford before moving to Hull, where he excelled in the Championship before making the move to West Ham in January 2020.
Southgate says he “thoroughly deserves” his first senior call-up following “constantly strong performances”.
“We were certainly thinking about involving him in March before he got injured,” said the England boss.
“He’s a goal threat and his direct journey is an interesting reminder that you don’t have to be at an elite academy – experience is a great route to go.
“He works incredibly hard for the team, which we want all our players to do.”
He was equally complimentary about Leicester defender Justin, who has made 19 appearances in all competitions since recovering from an anterior cruciate injury sustained in February 2021.
“He is a player we’ve followed for a long time and he obviously had a very serious injury,” added Southgate. “We feel he’s now played the number of matches needed.
“He’s comfortable at right or left back – he’s very comfortable with the ball and a super athlete. He’s a very good person from the feedback I’ve had and we’re really looking forward to working closely with him.”
England squad in full
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Wolves), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), James Justin (Leicester), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Man City), Ben White (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace, on loan from Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
Forwards: Tammy Abraham (Roma), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Man City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Man City)
Source: BBC