Gareth Southgate names England squad for Nations League as Jarrod Bowen and James Justin receive debut call-ups
Gareth Southgate has named his penultimate England squad before Qatar’s winter World Cup for next month’s Nations League matches against Hungary, Germany and Italy.
The Three Lions boss opted to test the waters, handing debut call-ups to West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Leicester City defender James Justin, as well as recalling Kalvin Phillips and Fikayo Tomori to the international fold.
Bowen has played like a man possessed this season as the Hammers reached the Europa League semi-final and secured seventh in the Premier League, confirming another campaign of continental football for the Hammers, who secured a place in 2022/23’s Europa Conference League.
The West Ham forward was on the cusp of an inclusion in March’s international matches, as confirmed by Southgate who said he was “in the frame”, but a fractured bone in his foot ultimately scuppered his chances of receiving his first cap.
Elsewhere, there has long been clamour for Tomori to receive regular minutes at senior international level, and it appears Southgate has recognised his Scudetto-winning exploits at the San Siro after Milan ended their 11-year wait for Serie A title glory over the weekend.
Leeds United’s Phillips is also back in the frame having seen his season blighted by injury problems and inconsistency issues at Elland Road. A cornerstone of England’s Euro 2020 success last summer, Phillips continues a positive few days after Leeds avoided the drop on Sunday.
Justin’s inclusion completes a tremendous 2022 for the versatile defender, who recently recovered from a protracted spell on the sidelines with a cruciate ligament rupture to play a vital role in Leicester’s second half of the campaign. He will now be looking to put that lengthy spell on the sidelines behind him.
England full squad:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, James Justin, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori, Kieran Tripper, Kyle Walker, Ben White.
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse.
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling.
Confirming your #ThreeLions squad for our upcoming #NationsLeague fixtures! 🦁
— England (@England) May 24, 2022
