England manager Gareth Southgate has announced his 26-man squad for their upcoming fixtures against Australia and Italy.
The Three Lions will take on the Socceroos at Wembley Stadium on October 13 before hosting the Gli Azzurri for their 2024 European championship qualifier on October 17.
England have a near-perfect record in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, with Southgate’s side yet to suffer defeat in Group C.
The Three Lions embarked on a four-game winning run, netting 15 times while conceding just once – a goal which came against Italy in their opening qualifier fixture.
However, their winning run stopped when they travelled to third-placed Ukraine, with former Manchester City teammates Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kyle Walker cancelling each other out.
England will be looking to further their Euro 2024 ambitions with a win over Italy as they currently sit six points ahead of Luciano Spalletti’s side, although they have played one more game.
Ollie Watkins represents the most notable inclusion in Southgate’s squad, with the striker currently in excellent form for Aston Villa.
His call-up to the national team comes after an outstanding hat-trick in Villa’s 6-1 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
Man City’s John Stones and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold have been recalled after missing the September fixtures due to injuries.
The inclusion of Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka also comes as a surprise, considering the 22-year-old’s injury status remains uncertain after picking up a knock in the 2-1 Champions League defeat at Lens.
West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen has been called up, but Raheem Sterling and James Ward-Prowse have been overlooked despite their excellent rent form.
England squad
Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielders: James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (Arsenal).
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
