Jarrod Bowen and James Justin get first England call-ups as Tomori returns
Gareth Southgate has given Jarrod Bowen his first England call-up, rewarding the winger for his fine season at West Ham. The manager has also selected the uncapped Leicester full-back James Justin in a 27-man squad for the extensive Nations League programme in the first half of June.
England face Hungary and Germany away from home before taking on Italy and Hungary at Molineux. The Hungary game in Budapest and the Italy tie will be played behind closed doors as punishments for fan disorder.
Southgate has recalled the Milan centre-half Fikayo Tomori together with Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Kalvin Phillips. Trippier and Phillips were injured for the previous international get-together at the end of March, when England beat Switzerland and Ivory Coast, while Walker was rested.
The manager has omitted the Aston Villa centre-half Tyrone Mings and the Arsenal attacking midfielder Emile Smith Rowe, who has a slight injury, and he has left out the Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson – mindful of the 31-year-old’s workload this season.
Henderson is preparing for Saturday’s Champions League final against
Real Madrid in Paris and Southgate explained why he included Trent Alexander-Arnold, who will probably stay with the squad for only the first two matches, and not his Liverpool teammate.
He said: “I spoke with the two lads about what they felt was best for them. They’re in different positions because Jordan’s age, the number of caps he’s got, is totally different to Trent of course and we’ve got good players in all those [midfield] areas of the pitch. We’ve got cover.
“But we felt that with Hendo, we didn’t need to see him this summer and with Trent, slightly different. We’d like him to be with us from the start of the camp. We gave him the option of reporting a bit later so he got a longer break after the final, but he felt more comfortable to keep going and finish a bit earlier.”
There is no place for the Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who was a late replacement for the injured Tammy Abraham in the last squad. Abraham is again included at the outset. Nor have Kyle Walker-Peters or Tyrick Mitchell kept their spots. They had their first call-ups last time out as late replacements.
Luke Shaw misses out through injury and Ben Chilwell is not sufficiently fit, having only just returned from a long lay-off. Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho remain out in the cold.
Southgate said Bowen had earned his place with “consistently strong performances” and referenced the 25year-old’s goal threat and directness. Bowen was playing for Hereford in the fifth tier in the 2013-14 season. “His journey is really interesting in terms of the experiences he’s had,” said Southgate, who pointed to it as proof that players can reach the top without being in an elite academy.
Justin makes the squad after a strong return from a cruciate injury and Southgate said the 24-year-old was adept at right- or left-back, comfortable in possession and a “super athlete”.
“He’s a player that we’ve followed for a long time and he obviously had a very serious injury and has now, we feel, played the number of matches and been able to play more regularly,” said the England manager.
Southgate said Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi may have to drop out because of injury.