Southgate calls up three more youngsters for Brazil friendly

LONDON: England coach Gareth Southgate has called up three more youngsters for the team’s home friendly against Brazil tomorrow.

Southgate, who gave five players their international first-team debuts against Germany on Friday, has added goalkeeper Angus Gunn, defender Lewis Cook and striker Dominic Solanke to the squad for tomorrow’s Wembley encounter with the five-time World Cup winners.

All three were in action on Friday for England’s Under21 side in Ukraine – and the latter two featured in the Under-20s’ World Cup-winning campaign earlier this year.

Manchester City’s Gunn, 21, who is on loan at secondtier Norwich, was called up to replace Jack Butland, who broke a finger in training.

Cook, of Bournemouth, and Liverpool’s Solanke, both 20, join an already young squad hit by injuries to senior players, including Dele Alli and Harry Kane, and now without Manchester United defender Phil Jones, who limped off after less than half an hour of the Germany match with what England say is a thigh problem.

Harry Maguire, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Tammy Abraham all made their senior debuts on Friday and were joined by two more debutants – substitutes Joe Gomez and Jack Cork – during the game.

The starting 11 had just 101 caps between them – their most inexperienced side since 1980.

— AFP Squeeze it: England goalkeeper Joe Hart wringing his gloves during a training session on Saturday ahead of the friendly against Brazil at Wembley today.