England interim manager Lee Carsley names his first Three Lions squad for September’s Nations League fixtures, as Noni Madueke and Morgan Gibbs-White earn call-ups.
England interim manager Lee Carsley has named his first Three Lions squad for September’s Nations League fixtures, including several call-ups for uncapped players.
The former Under-21s head coach stepped in to the fill the void left by Gareth Southgate‘s post-Euro 2024 departure, and his reign begins with a Nations League double-header next month.
The Three Lions will begin their bid to return to the top tier of the tournament against Republic of Ireland on September 7 on Dublin, three days before they host Finland at Wembley in their second League B Group 2 affair.
Following his success with the Under-21s, whom he led to the European Championship title last summer, Carsley was always expected to include some of his youth prospects in his maiden selection, potentially at the expense of some of the old guard.
Indeed, Carsley has selected no fewer than four uncapped players in his first squad, including Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, who earns his first senior call-up on the back of a terrific start to the season with the Blues.
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After coming off the bench to score in Chelsea’s opening Europa Conference League win over Servette, Madueke scored a phenomenal hat-trick in a 6-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and has been rewarded with a maiden senior selection.
Madueke is one of three new players who won the Under-21 Euros last year, a list that also includes Nottingham Forest attacker Morgan Gibbs-White and Lille midfielder Angel Gomes.
Gomes – a former Manchester United starlet – registered eight assists in 31 Ligue 1 matches for Lille during the 2023-24 campaign, and he has been selected in spite of his worrying head injury on the opening day of the French top-flight season.
The fourth and final uncapped player in Carsley’s squad is Newcastle United full-back Tino Livramento, who is selected for senior duty only a couple of hours after his Magpies teammate Kieran Trippier announced his international retirement.
Another Newcastle man – Nick Pope – returns to the goalkeeping ranks at the expense of Aaron Ramsdale, who is omitted after spending the 2023-24 season as Arsenal’s number two, and the 26-year-old is one of two notable North London defensive absentees.
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Once again, Ben White is snubbed, despite claims that he could have changed his mind on representing England again following the departure of Southgate and Steve Holland, the latter of whom he allegedly fell out with at the 2022 World Cup.
Manchester City’s Kyle Walker is another to miss out on selection, so Rico Lewis and Trent Alexander-Arnold – listed as a defender rather than a midfielder – will vie for right-back selection, but Harry Maguire is back in after missing the Euros through injury.
Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham misses out due to his calf problem, and there is also no space for Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton or Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison, but Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo retains his place.
Manchester City’s Jack Grealish is a notable recall, despite his domestic fortunes not improving since his Euros snub, but Marcus Rashford is omitted and Brentford’s Ivan Toney is dropped amid the ongoing transfer speculation.
England’s Nations League squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)