Mount and Maddison in line for call-up to England squad

Mason Mount and James Maddison are expected to be rewarded for their impressive starts to the season with an England call-up.

Midfielder Harry Winks is also likely to earn a recall after missing out on England’s final Nations League squad earlier this summer.

Mount has scored twice this season and has been the star performer in Chelsea’s first three Premier League games.

Gareth Southgate is ready to include the 20-year-old in the squad that he will name today for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo.

Southgate first named Mount and 22-year-old Leicester City midfielder Maddison in his senior squad last October for the games against Croatia and Spain.

But both are still waiting to make their senior debuts and dropped back down to the Under-21s for this summer’s European Championship, where Aidy Boothroyd’s team crashed out in the group stage.

Mount and Maddison have bounced back from that disappointment and have been two of the standout players of the opening weeks of the season.

In what could be the closest Southgate gets to a midfield reshuffle, Winks is also on course to regain his place in the squad.

The 23-year-old was part of the provisional squad for the Nations League, but did not make the final cut due to doubts over his fitness.

But he played in Tottenham’s Champions League final defeat by Liverpool and has started all three Premier League games this season, against Aston Villa, Manchester City and Newcastle United.

Winks has not played for England since starting in a friendly against the United States last November. But England’s shortage of playmakers was once again evident during the Nations League and Winks may well get the opportunity to make the position his own.

It was during the summer that Steve Holland, Southgate’s assistant, revealed their admiration for Winks, who has been limited to just three appearances and 250 minutes for England by injury.

“He is a player that we have very much been waiting for in that kind of position,” Holland said. “Someone who is comfortable to turn and connect the play. I am sure he will acquire many caps in the future.”

Nick Pope of Burnley is set to take Jack Butland’s place as England’s third-choice goalkeeper.

Butland has had a difficult start to the season with Stoke City in the Championship. Jordan Pickford will remain as the No1, with Aston Villa’s Tom Heaton his deputy.

Heaton’s Villa team-mate Tyrone Mings is on Southgate’s radar, with England sweating on the fitness of central defender John Stones.

Stones is carrying a knock that prevented him from playing Manchester City’s past two games, which could open up a space that Mings would contest with James Tarkowski and Lewis Dunk.

Jack Grealish is likely to miss out on this squad and it remains to be seen whether Tammy Abraham’s two goals against Norwich were enough to push him in.