Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish has been called up by England for the first time ahead of September’s UEFA Nations League fixtures against Iceland and Denmark, but Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks have both withdrawn.
Rashford in particular had been nursing an ankle injury towards the end of the 2019/20 and was already considered a doubt to remain in the Three Lions squad.
Grealish was initially left out of the squad named by manager Gareth Southgate, an omission that appeared harsh given his impact and performances at club level all season.
Southgate brushed off criticism for selecting Leeds star Kalvin Phillips, who has no top flight experience to date, ahead of Grealish, citing their different roles.
The Three Lions boss had earlier explained that the Villa player was left out to make room for teenage Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood, who was ‘impossible to leave out’. The England boss also suggested it might be difficult to fit Grealish into his preferred system.
That perceived reluctance to call on the 24-year-old has now changed, however.
Although born and raised in Birmingham, Grealish started his international career with the Republic of Ireland, representing the country at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-21 levels, before making clear his intention to his international allegiance to England in 2015.
He was latter capped seven times by England at Under-21 level between 2016 and 2017.
Revised England Squad for UEFA Nations League vs Iceland & Denmark:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Wolves), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Michael Keane (Everton), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Man City)
Midfielders: Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
Forwards: Tammy Abraham (Chelsea), Mason Greenwood (Man Utd), Danny Ings (Southampton), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Man City)
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Source : 90min