England manager Gareth Southgate has named his latest Three Lions squad for upcoming friendlies against Belgium and Brazil.
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England to face Brazil & BelgiumSquad announced for Wembley friendliesCalls ups for Gordon, Toney and PalmerWHAT HAPPENED?
Southgate has sprung a few surprises with his latest selection. Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been recalled after returning from his eight-month ban for breaching gambling rules, while Newcastle's Anthony Gordon, West Ham's Jarrod Bowen and Chelsea's Cole Palmer also get the nod. Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite also earns a first senior international call-up.
West Ham midfielder Kalvin Phillips is the most noticeable absentee after being dropped from the squad following a tough season. Philipps struggled for game time in the first half of the campaign and is yet to make an impact at West Ham following his loan move. Jack Grealish also misses out due to injury,while LiverpooL's Joe Gomez and Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa are called-up amid injuries to Luke Shaw, Marc Guehi, Kieran Trippier, and Reece James.
AdvertisementENGLAND SQUAD IN FULL
Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone, Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite, Ben Chilwell, Lewis Dunk, Joe Gomez, Ezri Konsa, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Kyle Walker
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, James Maddison, Declan Rice
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Ivan Toney, Ollie Watkins
GettyWHAT SOUTHGATE SAID ABOUT PHILLIPS
Southgate spoke about his decision to drop Phillips at a news conference: "I think he knows exactly what we think of him. 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."
GettyWHAT SOUNDS SAID ABOUT BRANTHWAITE
Southgate also spoke about his decision to call up Branthwaite: "He's played consistently well. 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 Sean Dyche. He's in on merit. We're looking forward to having a look at him."