LONDON, Aug 31: Moving to Saudi Arabia hasn’t stopped Jordan Henderson from getting called up by England.
The former Liverpool captain was included in the 26-man squad on Thursday for upcoming games against Ukraine and Scotland, even though he plays for Al-Ettifaq .Harry Maguire will also be seen as a contentious selection by England coach Gareth Southgate because the centre-back has not played a single minute in any of Manchester United’s first three games in the Premier League.
England is short of top-class alternatives in central defence, earning Maguire a reprieve for the moment.Similarly, Kalvin Phillips got the call from Southgate even though he remains out of favour at Manchester City.
Raheem Sterling missed out for the third straight squad selection despite a return to form at Chelsea but there were first call-ups for Chelsea defender Levi Colwill and Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.England takes on Ukraine in a UEFA European Championship qualifier in Poland on September 9 before playing a friendly in Scotland three days later.
England squad:Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace).Defenders: Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Al-Ettifaq), Kalvin Philipps (Manchester City), Declan Rice (Arsenal).Forwards: Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), 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), Callum Wilson (Newcastle). (PTI)
