London: England on Tuesday announced a 24-man squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark that included three players who got their first-ever call-ups to senior men’s team.
England manager Gareth Southgate picked up Kalvin Phillips, who won promotion from the Championship with Leeds United this year along with Manchester City’s Phil Foden and 18-year-old Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood.
Southgate was quoted saying that it’s up to Foden and Greenwood to make the most of their opportunity to forge a place in his thinking for UEFA EURO 2020.
Danny Ings, who was the joint-second highest scorer in the 2019-20 Premier League season, is recalled for the first time since 2015. Ings teammate James Ward-Prowse also returns to the senior team.
Spurs’ Eric Dier and City’s Kyle Walker have also been recalled in the English side that last played against Montenegro and Kosovo in November 2019, when they booked their spot for the now-rescheduled UEFA EURO 2020.
Notably, friendlies against Italy and Denmark in March and pre-tournament games against Romania and Austria were cancelled due to COVID-19 outbreak.
Earlier in June, UEFA gave the green light for the Nations League to go ahead, with England looking to build on 2019’s third-place finish in the inaugural year of the tournament.