Curtis Jones is in line to be handed his England debut against Greece tonight, talkSPORT understands.
England interim-boss Lee Carsley is ready to put his faith in Liverpool star Jones to fill the midfield void left by the withdrawal of Declan Rice.
Meanwhile, Ollie Watkins is on standby to start the must-win game up front if captain Harry Kane is not fully fit.
Kane is currently thought to be carrying a knock and, while he did take part in full training on Wednesday, it is unclear whether or not the captain will play.
This comes a day after Kane appeared to criticise some of his own England teammates for not making the effort to turn up for international duty if they are carrying a knock – with the skipper making a point to join despite not being 100 per cent fit himself.
One man who will play, though, is Liverpool man Jones, who is set to make his overdue Three Lions debut.
The 23-year-old was called up to former England boss Gareth Southgate’s preliminary squad for Euro 2024 but did not make the final 26-man cut.
He is one of several alumni from England’s Under-21 squad that won the Euros last year, which was managed by Carsley.
Jones – who has 94 Premier League appearances – has strung together some impressive performances for Liverpool under Arne Slot and believes his latest call-up was deserved.
“I think the form at the club is the important thing and this call-up only comes with how hard I am doing things at the club,” Jones said.
“I am not a young lad anymore. I have had the experience of Champions League and Premier League games.
“I have been around now for long enough to learn that I want to be inside that team. I want to keep my place and keep my shirt by scoring goals and assists and I feel I am on the right path.”
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Watkins has five England starts under his belt and has scored four goals, including an unforgettable last-minute winner to sink the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
The Aston Villa striker enjoyed a run of five goals in five Premier League games, but has since not scored in his last five appearances across all competitions.
Regardless of whether Watkins or Kane starts up top, Carsley desperately needs them to fire given the Nations League stipulations at stake for England.
If the Three Lions are to be promoted back to League A, victory over Greece is a must, as they hold a three-point lead over England in Group B2.
However, if England cannot beat Greece, it likely condemns them to a promotion play-off, where they would take on one of the third-placed nations in League A.
England’s game against Greece – live on talkSPORT – kicks off at 7:45pm.
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