Leicester midfielder James Maddison included in senior squad for first time; UEFA Nations League matches v Croatia and Spain both live on Sky Sports
Thursday 4 October 2018 20:00, UK
Teenagers Jadon Sancho and Mason Mount have been included in Gareth Southgate's England squad to face Croatia and Spain later this month.
Leicester midfielder James Maddison has also been added to the senior squad for the first time, while Ross Barkley has earned a recall. There are also call-ups for Watford's Nathaniel Chalobah and Tottenham's Harry Winks.
Former Manchester City youngster Sancho, 18, has recorded one goal and five assists for Borussia Dortmund this season, despite being limited to just 125 minutes from the bench.
Derby midfielder Mount, 19, was watched by Southgate during their Championship match against Blackburn after impressing on loan from Chelsea.
The 25-man squad has a total of six players who have yet to win a senior cap, including goalkeepers Marcus Bettinelli and Alex McCarthy, as well as Chalobah.
There is no place in the squad for Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, while Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard miss out through injury.
When asked about the inclusion of the young trio of Mount, Sancho and Maddison, Southgate said: "I think it's aligned to what we have done in the last 18 months really. We have a few injuries in midfield in particular so there was an opportunity there.
"It's a great opportunity for us to look at them. We're always conscious of the balance in bringing young players in but we think they are performing well with their clubs and they are confident players.
"Jadon's is an unusual story. He has been brave enough to go and play abroad and has started two Champions League games for Dortmund and has also had a big impact from the bench in their league games.
"Mason's situation is slightly different. He played last year on loan at Vitesse [Arnhem] and has had another season of men's football and created more chances than any other player in the league.
"We'd have no hesitation on playing either of them in the games coming up."
England will face Croatia in the UEFA Nations League behind closed doors in Rijeka on October 12, when the World Cup finalists will complete a stadium ban handed down after having a swastika on their pitch in 2015.
Southgate's side then travel to Seville to take on Spain, who won 2-1 at Wembley in England's first Nations League match last month.
Goalkeepers - Marcus Bettinelli, Jack Butland, Alex McCarthy, Jordan Pickford.
Defenders - Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Harry Maguire, Danny Rose, Luke Shaw, John Stones, James Tarkowski, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker.
Midfielders - Ross Barkley, Nathaniel Chalobah, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Harry Winks.
Forwards - Harry Kane, James Maddison, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Danny Welbeck.
