Alexander-Arnold, Lingard back in England squad; Greenwood misses out

Apart from the Manchester United forward, Gareth Southgate has left out Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell from the 25-man squad to face Hungary, Andorra and Poland.

Trent Alexander-Arnold in a file photo. (Image Credit: Twitter)
By Karthik Raman | Aug 26, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

England head coach Gareth Southgate has called up Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard for next month’s World Cup qualifiers. The duo missed Euro 2020 as England reached the final of the competition before losing to Italy in a penalty shootout at Wembley in July. However, they will be available for the upcoming games against Hungary, Andorra and Poland. It is also the maiden time Leeds striker Patrick Bamford has received an England call-up. Following impressive performances for his club, Southgate believes it was the right time for the 27-year-old striker to be given a chance in the senior team.

“There was an opportunity for us in the forward area,” he was quoted as saying by skysports.com. “We were very pleased with what Ollie Watkins did at the end of last season. Now is an opportunity for Patrick as a number nine as well. His progress with Leeds has been excellent, very close thing at the end of last season with us [in terms of being selected] and this is a good chance for him to come back in. We worked with him at U21 level, so we know him anyway. A fabulous moment for him and his family.”

Chilwell, Greenwood miss out

However, there are two big names that are being left out of the latest squad. Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell is one of the biggest names to miss out on the squad. He was an unused substitute in the first three matches of the Blues’ season and also did not feature for a single minute at Euro 2020 for England. Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood is the other notable absentee. The teenager has started the new season impressively, scoring twice in his first two league games.

Speaking about the Manchester United forward, Southgate informed that he has spoken to Greenwood and insisted that the 19-year-old is firmly in his plans. “He is in our thoughts,” added Southgate. “I’ve spoken with him and with his club. He is a player we really like. We think he has got every possibility to be a top England player. We are all very conscious that we make that progress at the right time. He is just breaking into the team at Manchester United with a lot of responsibility.

“That is a big thing for a young player to deal with and we want to get that progression with our seniors as well as we possibly can so that we get the best possible player at the end. We are all aligned on that, the club, his family and us. We feel at the moment [it is] the best thing for him, after these first few games with his club, but he is very much a player we like. It is clear on his performances at the moment that he would warrant being in the squad, absolutely.”

England’s 25-man squad

Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Jesse Lingard, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice

Forwards: Patrick Bamford, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling





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