Lee Carsley makes his latest England squad announcement for upcoming Nations League games against Greece and Finland later month.
The interim boss gets set to face Greece at Wembley on the 10th of October (Thursday), before facing Finland on the 13th of October (Sunday) at the Helsinki Olympyc Stadium.
Prior to the press conference, reports said Dominic Solanke was set for his first England call-up in seven years. The Athletic added that Harry Maguire would be left out and James Maddison has been overlooked again.
Meanwhile Jarrod Bowen – who was in the September squad – is left out, and Morgan Rogers will be with the U21s, rather than the senior squad. Levi Colwill expected to retain his place.
ENGLAND SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), 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: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
England’s interim head coach Lee Carsley on trying to fit Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham into the same starting line-up: “It’s a challenge with the squad that we’ve got, we’ve got so many talented players.
“We always look at finding the right balance, who complements who in terms of the way that we play. I try not to get too caught up in positions, it’s more the attributes and the way we can potentially attack the opposition. All three are excellent players, as are the rest of the squad.”
Lee Carsley on Dominic Solanke: “Dom’s a player I’m fully aware of having worked with him in the past. He was really close to being in the last squad but got injured just before selection.
“He did so well at Bournemouth and now he’s taken that form into Spurs. He’s got a lot of really good attributes that I really like, as well as being a really nice person. He’s extremely talented and it’s a good that we’ve got him.”
Carsley on his England future: “It’s really clear what my remit is: take the team in the three England camps. My situation has’t changed. I’m really looking forward to this camp, it was tough picking it with the players we had to leave out.
“I’m comfortable with my situation.”
How does Carsley fit Foden-Bellingham-Palmer in: “Like all the players, it’s a challenge with the squad we have. We always look at finding the right balance, who compliments who, in the way that we play.We don’t get too caught up in positions, it’s more the attributes, the way we take on the opposition.
“All three are excellent players along with the rest of the squad.”
Carsley on Cole Palmer’s form: “Knowing Cole for a number of years, seeing how he has progressed, he takes every challenge in his stride. He doesn’t get too high or low, that’s a great attribute to have as a professional footballer.
“There were a lot of players who were close. It would have been easy to name a 40-man squad,. but the challenge is making sure we pick a competitive squad and one where we can win the two games.”
Carsley on Kane critics: “I was at the game last night, it was a brilliant game. The level and tempo was great to see. Harry Kane is a really important player for us. We ignore with centre forwards that they’re an easy target. You have to realise there’s another 10 players there too.
“I think he’s doing well, his goal record at Bayern is outstanding. It cannot be questioned. I saw in the last camp the way he conducted himself and the way he played was outstanding.”
Carsley on Maguire: “It was a chance of having a look at other players. It’s nothing to do with form. It’s looking at the next two camps to look at other players.
“The players left out all have a case but we saw the benefit in the last camp of the squad being fresh, feeling fresh and a lot of energy in it. It’s not just a copy and a paste, I want them to feel like they all have earned their place in the squad. People want to know where they stand long-term, I’ve told all the players this i a short-term situation at their clubs.
“Harry is a player I’ve worked with in the past. He was very positive in the conversation we have. It was a case of talking to him about what my decision was, we have some really good centre-backs who we are keen to see play. Harry still has a really important part to play, not just in this squad but also in the campaign.”
Here’s how fans reacted as Lee Carsley makes his latest England squad announcement for games against Greece and Finland…
what more does he have to do? pic.twitter.com/99xjpaoh5j
— Gabe ✞ (@avfcgabe) October 3, 2024
@thfcisaac_: No Maddison is a joke
@EthanMuggers: Morgan Rogers deserved a call up
@FelixJohnston_: Lovely squad that. MGW instead of Rogers, Eze or Maddison is interesting
@Prefernot2speek: Gibbs white over Rogers 🤣🤣🤣
@BradleyLFC24v3: Lee’s first L not picking rogers
@deakin_89: When are we gonna stop this ridiculous international break when we are 4-6 games into a new season.
@WH_Unofficial: Solanke is the simplest and most obvious illustration of the bias involved when selecting these squads – He was class for Bournemouth, had some electrifying runs of form but never got called up to England. Gets his warranted big move, has a decent ish start and gets the call up!
@Alitheeagle1: Reality check for Eze. Needs to be playing better. Has to become more ruthless in front of goal to become fully established as a top player. #CPFC
@FIFABrit: I don’t understand picking Gibbs-White over a guy like Morgan Rogers, but outside of that, I think this is a good squad
@waynefawcett: Leif Davis of Ipswich town should be getting a look in at left-back
@jake_const15: First England squad I’ve looked at in a long while and thought, hmmm yeah that’s fair enough.
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