London: England will face Switzerland and Cote D’Ivoire in March with a 25-man squad, after manager Gareth Southgate made his pick on Thursday afternoon.
Among the squad announced by Southgate, Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho have been left out of the England squad, while Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi has earned his first call-up.
The Three Lions kick-off 2022 with an international double-header at Wembley Stadium, starting with match against Switzerland on March 26. And their first-ever senior international against Cote D’Ivoire will take place three days later on March 29 as England continue their preparations for what will be a big year including a new UEFA Nations League campaign in June before the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar in November and December.
There’s a first senior call-up for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi who had previously captained the MU21s earlier this season and was ironically born in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan before moving with his family to England as a baby. His Palace teammate Conor Gallagher also retains his spot in the group, having joined the seniors from the MU21s during November’s international window and going on to make his debut in the win over San Marino.
There are also recalls to the squad for Arsenal’s Ben White and Burnley’s Nick Pope. Southgate and his squad will reunite at St. George’s Park following this weekend’s domestic games to begin their preparations and the manager will be speaking to the media about his selections from 2pm GMT, so you can watch his press conference below.
England squad: Goalkeepers — Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal). Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace, loan from Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham United), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton). Forwards: Tammy Abraham (AS Roma), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City).