Patrick Bamford receives first England call-up but Greenwood misses out

  • 8/26/2021
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Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford has received his first England senior call-up as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jesse Lingard returned to international duty for the World Cup qualifiers next month against Poland, Andorra and Hungary. There is no place in the squad for Mason Greenwood, however, despite the Manchester United forward’s impressive start to the season. Kurt Zouma. Kurt Zouma close to £25m West Ham move as Chelsea pursue Jules Koundé Read more Alexander-Arnold was left devastated after missing out on Euro 2020 after sustaining a thigh injury during the build-up to the tournament. The Liverpool defender had made it into Gareth Southgate’s squad despite being left dropped by the manager in March and he will be involved when England meet for the first time since their defeat against Italy in the European Championship final. Alexander-Arnold is one of four right-backs in the squad, with Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran Trippier also included by Southgate. However there is no place for the Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell. Bamford is the only uncapped player in the squad after impressing for Leeds since their return to the Premier League. Greenwood also missed out on a place at the Euro 2020 finals through injury. The United forward has scored twice this season and had a chance of a recall, with Marcus Rashford ruled out. Advertisement Southgate said that he did not want to put too much pressure on Greenwood. “He is in our thoughts,” he said. “Very much. I’ve spoken with him and with his club. He’s a player we really like and he’s got every possibility to be a top England player. We’re all very conscious that we make that progression at the right time. “He is just breaking into the team at Manchester United with a lot of responsibility. That’s a big thing for young player to deal with and we want to get that progression with our seniors as well as we possibly can so that we get the best possible player at the end. “So we’re all aligned on that - Mason, the club, his family, us - and we feel at the moment the best thing for him after these first few games is he stays with his club. But he’s very much a player that we like. It’s clear on his performances at the moment he would warrant being in the squad. Absolutely.” The Aston Villa strikers Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins, and the Roma forward Tammy Abraham, have also missed out up front. The England captain, Harry Kane, is in the squad after seeing his hopes of leaving Tottenham for Manchester City collapse. Quick Guide England squad Show Southgate admitted that Kane could be short of match fitness before the Hungary game. The striker made his first appearance of the season when he came off the bench in Spurs’ 1-0 win over Wolves. “The physical part is a very difficult one for us,” the manager said. “It was even worse for us last September – we had players who had not even played a league game. The whole squad had not played a league game. “This time, inevitably, we are going to have players who are short of competitive match minutes because our players ended up back later than the rest. Some of them have had some pre-season games but one or two like John Stones have not had a match yet this season. “Harry is in that bracket, but he got into the game at the weekend. The good thing from our point of view is that it looks as though everything is resolved and settled now club-wise so he has a clear focus and I am sure he is looking forward now to getting out on the pitch with Tottenham and with us next week.” There are places in the squad for Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho, both of whom missed penalties in the shootout defeat against Italy. Nick Pope, the Burnley goalkeeper, has also come in for United’s Dean Henderson, who has a hip injury. Advertisement Southgate explained the process he went through with his coaches after the defeat against Italy. “We were into the office the following week reviewing the whole tournament. Of course the final was fresh in everyone’s mind, but you have to review everything,” he said. “I was in touch with all three of them [Saka, Rashford and Sancho] the days after the final and their clubs were in touch as well. They know there is support if they need it, but they are also keen to move on. It is a fresh season with fresh challenges. They are exciting young players with an exciting time ahead of them.” England visit Hungary on 2 September and host Andorra on 5 September before finishing the camp with a trip to Poland on 8 September.

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