England confirm squad for October Nations League fixtures
England interim manager Lee Carsley has named his squad for the October international fixtures.
After a perfect start to life in the senior dugout, Carsley has made a handful of bold changes to his second squad, including the introduction of Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke.
Solanke, whose solitary England cap came off the bench in November 2017, earns a recall to the Three Lions after an impressive run of form with Spurs which yielded three goals in as many games before Carsley’s squad announcement.
However, Solanke’s Spurs teammate James Maddison continues to miss out on a place in the England squad, despite catching the eye in recent weeks.
There’s a big return in midfield as Jude Bellingham is set for his first taste of life under Carsley. The Real Madrid star, who was injured for the September internationals, never played under the current boss at Under-21 level, instead being promoted to the seniors shortly before Carsley took the job.
Manchester City defender Kyle Walker also returns to the squad, having missed out in September.
One in-form player who has not made the cut is Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers, whose return of one assist and two goals this season has not seen him force his way into the senior setup.
There are no places for Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw. The former has struggled for minutes this season and drops out of the squad, while the latter remains unfit and is not expected back until later this month.
England enjoyed a perfect start to life in Nations League B, seeing off both the Republic of Ireland and Finland last month, but the Three Lions currently find themselves second in Group 2 as Greece have racked up a superior goal difference.
Greece head to Wembley on 10 October for a battle which could go a long way to deciding top spot in the group, before England make the trip over to Finland three days later looking for a repeat of last month’s 2-0 victory.
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)