Toney gets first call; no place for Sancho, Rashford in England’s last squad before Qatar

London, Sep 15

England coach Gareth Southgate has called Brentford striker Ivan Toney into his squad for the forthcoming UEFA Nations League games against Italy and Germany.

However, there is no place for Manchester United duo of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho just two months away from the start of the World Cup.

Southgate's final squad before naming players who will go to Qatar is always going to be looked at with extra interest. Although Rashford is suffering from a slight injury, Sancho's place on the plane must now be in serious doubt, reports Xinhua.

26-year-old Toney gets his chance after scoring 17 Premier League goals and giving six assists in just over a season with Brentford. He is an effective penalty taker and also a threat in the air and set-pieces.

Southgate's 28-man squad sees a return for Tottenham's Eric Dier, who has not featured since November 2020, while left backs Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw are both back.

Harry Maguire also gets a call-up, although he has lost his starting place for Manchester United under new coach Erik ten Hag, while midfielder Kalvin Phillips is also back despite very limited game time since his move from Leeds United to Manchester City during the summer.

West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen is also given a chance ahead of Sancho, who last featured for England in October 2021.

Although both Rashford and Sancho have improved since Ten Hag took over at Manchester United, they clearly need to produce their best form in the six weeks between the end of this international break and the last matches before the World Cup.

Following is the squad:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Chilwell, Conor Coady, Eric Dier, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse

Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, Ivan Toney.

--IANS