Exciting England Squad Announcement: Saka Overcomes Injury, Bowen and Watkins Recalled! Don't Miss Australia and Italy Clash!
Bukayo Saka defies injury concerns to secure his place in England's squad Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins receive well-deserved recalls, while James Ward-Prowse and Raheem Sterling miss out again Stones returns from injury, joining Maguire and Phillips Exciting times ahead for England!
Bukayo Saka, the Arsenal forward, has been selected for England's squad in the upcoming matches against Australia and Italy in October, despite injury worries. Additionally, Gareth Southgate has recalled Jarrod Bowen from West Ham and Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa. Saka sustained a leg injury during Arsenal's Champions League Group B match against Lens on Tuesday, causing concern for Mikel Arteta before their Premier League match against Manchester City on Sunday, which will be broadcasted live on We.
However, Saka, despite still being assessed by Arsenal, has been considered fit enough to be included in Southgate's plans for the friendly against Australia and the Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.
Arsenal
Manchester City
Sunday 8th October 4:00pm
Kick off 4:30pm
According to Southgate, there is still ongoing assessment of his condition. Arsenal has an important match coming up this weekend, followed by a seven-day gap before our game against Australia and a further ten-day break before facing Italy.
"Everybody will monitor everything as we go forward."
Arsenal Manchester City
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Jarrod Bowen has earned his first call-up to the England squad since September 2022. Moreover, both Bowen and Watkins have been recalled due to their impressive performances for West Ham and Aston Villa respectively at the start of the season.
Watkins, with a tally of seven goals across various competitions this season, makes his comeback to the England squad after being excluded since March 2022. This decision follows Southgate's observation of the striker's remarkable hat-trick in Aston Villa's dominant 6-1 victory over Brighton.
Bowen, who has impressively netted five goals in just seven league games for West Ham, reclaims his spot in the England squad after an absence since September 2022.
Bowen and Watkins have been selected by Southgate. According to Southgate, Bowen has been added to strengthen the team's wide areas, as he has scored five goals in seven games. Additionally, Southgate sees the upcoming Australia game as a chance to learn new things.
Regarding Watkins, Southgate acknowledges that he has had a strong start to the season and has been consistently scoring goals in recent weeks. However, Southgate emphasizes the importance of not solely relying on recent performances when making selections. Nonetheless, Watkins enters the team with confidence and positive momentum.
Bowen and Watkins recalled
He has previously been in our company, thus we are familiar with his character and personality. He is well-regarded within the group and portrays himself as a good individual. He is currently affiliated with a club that boasts exceptional coaching, and their team is thriving at the moment.
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Uncapped Chelsea youngster Levi Colwill keeps his place in the England squad
Southgate's 26-player squad for the October double-header sees uncapped Levi Colwill and Eddie Nketiah again get the nod.
Southgate's squad lacks depth in the left-back position, with Chelsea's Colwill being the sole player possessing substantial experience in that role.
Regarding the 20-year-old, Southgate mentioned, "We are aware that he has primarily played as a centre-back, which is his preferred and strongest position. However, considering our limited options at left-back, he has been featuring there consistently."
"We have alternative center-backs who can cover the full-back position. This is an area where we need to explore the capabilities of several players as the depth in the league is not particularly strong in this regard.
"He performed impressively in the Under-21 Euros and has seamlessly adjusted to life back at Chelsea. His game displays a remarkable level of maturity, and we hold great optimism for his future."
Nketiah, Colwill keep places
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England's Harry Maguire could feature for England in the games against Australia and Italy
John Stones has made a comeback to the squad following a period of being sidelined. Despite ongoing questions about their playing time, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips maintain their positions, representing Manchester United and Manchester City, respectively. Jordan Henderson, who moved to Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia during the summer, also continues to hold his place.
Despite his impressive performance in east London, West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse still did not find a place in the team. Similarly, Raheem Sterling was once again not selected by Southgate, even though he has earned 82 caps for Chelsea. In addition, Ben Chilwell, Eberechi Eze, and Callum Wilson were unable to participate, and although Mason Mount has returned to play for Manchester United, he is still not included in the squad.
Stones returns from injury; Maguire and Phillips keep places
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Ollie Watkins has been in fine goal scoring for for Aston Villa
Goalkeepers: Crystal Palace's Sam Johnstone, Everton's Jordan Pickford, and Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale.
Defenders: Chelsea's Levi Colwill, Brighton's Lewis Dunk, Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, Manchester United's Harry Maguire, Manchester City's John Stones, AC Milan's Fikayi Tomori, Newcastle's Kieran Trippier, and Manchester City's Kyle Walker.
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (Arsenal).
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham), Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
England's October squad in full
England will face Australia in a friendly match at Wembley on October 13, with the game set to kick-off at 7.45pm. Their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier is scheduled against Italy on Tuesday, October 17, also commencing at 7.45pm.In November, they face Malta at home (November 17; kick-off 7.45pm), before a trip to North Macedonia (November 20; kick-off 7.45pm.
