Uncapped trio called into England squad for friendlies
Published
Ahead of the last international break before Euro 2024, Gareth Southgate called up three uncapped players into his England squad for friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon and defenders Jarrad Branthwaite of Everton and Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa were named to the 25-man squad for games on Mar. 23 and Mar. 26.
"He's played consistently well," Southgate said of the 21-year-old Branthwaite. "We watched him as a back-up centre-half for the under-21s. If you said a year ago he would consistently play in the Premier League, I would have been surprised. Credit to [Toffees boss] Sean Dyche. He's in on merit. We're looking forward to having a look at him."
Among those missing from the team are West Ham midfielder Kalvin Phillips, on loan from Manchester City, and Arsenal defender Ben White, both unselected. Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw misses out with injury and remains a fitness doubt for the Euro.
"I think he knows exactly what we think of him," Southgate said of White. "A good version of him is an important player for us. We don't have many players of that profile. Unfortunately, his form just hasn't been good enough. I've spoken to him, he knows that. I said to him towards the end of last year, if he didn't play at City, it was going to be a problem."
Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane and midfielders Jordan Henderson of Ajax and Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham are the only players selected from abroad.
Brentford forward Ivan Toney returns to the squad following his six-month suspension for gambling.
The teams with the most representation on the squad are City, Arsenal and Chelsea, each with three players.
The Three Lions are set to face Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia in Group C this summer in Germany with their opening match set for June 16.
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ENGLAND SQUAD TO FACE BRAZIL AND BELGIUM
GK - Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton) and Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
DF - Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City) and Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
MF - Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur) and Declan Rice (Arsenal)
FW - Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford) and Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)