Gareth Southgate welcomes two new faces for England’s next fixtures
Gareth Southgate, England’s national team coach, announced this week the 27 players who will form the Three Lions squad for the country’s four upcoming matches in the Nations League next month.
Despite the common faces who regularly feature for the squad, two English footballers were given the chance to showcase their skills wearing the white jersey for the first time in their careers: Jarrod Bowen, West Ham United’s striker, and James Justin, Leicester City’s full-back.
Bowen had an outstanding 2021-2022 season representing the colors of the Hammers and was one of the key players who helped the squad achieve a UEFA Europa Conference League play-off spot by the end of the Premier League campaign. He helped his team by scoring 18 goals and dishing out 13 assists in 51 matches for the club this year.
“He is a goal threat and his direct journey is an interesting reminder that you don’t have to be at an elite academy, experience is a great route to go,” Southgate said about Bowen. “He works incredibly hard for the team, which we want all our players to do. He thoroughly deserves his call-up.”
On the opposite side of the field, Justin’s strong performances for Leicester combined with the fact that Ben Chillwell is recovering from a knee injury, and Luke Shaw is still trying to get into game shape, gave him the opportunity to be selected for the English national team for the first time.
If Southgate’s press conference was positive for Bowen and Justin, the same can’t be said for others who have been common names in Southgate’s previous lists such as Jordan Henderson, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.
The coach explained Henderson’s absence due to the number of matches he played this season, so he decided to give a rest to the midfielder. However, Southgate did not explain why the duo from Manchester was not on the list.
Similar to the wingers from Manchester United, James Maddison, Leicester City’s attacking midfielder, and Tyrone Mings, Aston Villa’s captain, also missed the list, shocking many fans of the English national team.
When asked about Maddison’s absence, the English manager said he believes the midfielder has finished up the season very well and is scoring goals. But, the coach said he is well satisfied with the players who currently fight for a position in the midfield with the 25-year-old Englishman.
“He is competing with Mason Mount and Phil Foden and these types of players in the role where he is at his best,” Southgate analyzed. “It’s one of the positions where there is a lot of strength in depth and you may have to leave players out who may be equally as deserving.”
Regarding the players called up by the manager, Marc Guehi, Crystal Palace’s center-back, made the list of the Three Lions once again, as well as Tammy Abraham, who had an incredible season playing for Rome.
Here are the players selected by Southgate:
Goalkeepers : Pickford, Pope, Ramsdale
Defenders : Alexander-Arnold, Coady, Guehi, James, Justin, Maguire, Stones, Tomori, Trippier, Walker, White
Midfielders : Bellingham, Gallagher, Mount, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse
Forwards : Abraham, Bowen, Foden, Grealish, Kane, Saka, Sterling
-Matheus Teles
Photo: Антон Зайцев. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.