England manager Gareth Southgate has named a 26-man squad for next month's games against Ukraine and Scotland on Thursday, August 31. As a surprise, defender Harry Maguire retained his place in the squad despite not playing regular club football, while left-back Trent Alexander Arnold has been named as a midfielder.
England will travel to Wroclaw, Poland and face Ukraine in their Euro 2024 qualifier on September 9. Southgate’s men will then face neighbouring Scotland in a friendly at Hampden Park on September 12 in a match to mark the 150th anniversary of the first-ever international match.
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Another surprise call-up was that of Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who has not played any regular football for his club side since joining from Leeds last summer. Southgate explained regarding the midfielder, "With Kalvin [Phillips], it's not ideal he's not playing football. Declan Rice was the only England player to start at the weekend as a single pivot. Kalvin is the next best to do that. Other players can do it, but it's not their best position."
Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and Chelsea defender Levi Colwill receive their maiden senior call-ups. Nketiah joins the group after having played frequently for England's development teams over the years, breaking the record for goals scored by a male under-21 team in 2020. Levi Colwill previously trained and travelled with the seniors for June’s qualifier in Malta before going back for the U21 European Championships.
England full squad:
Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone, Jordan Pickford, and Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill, Lewis Dunk, Marc Guehi, Harry Maguire, Fikayo Tomori, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips, and Declan Rice
Forwards: Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, James Maddison, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Callum Wilson
