Gareth Southgate has named Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck in his latest England squad.
The duo have been called up to take part in England’s World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia on September 1 and 4 respectively.
Well done to @Alex_OxChambo and @DannyWelbeck – both have been named in the latest @England squad pic.twitter.com/SOuQ2LUKxM
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) August 24, 2017
Oxlade-Chamberlain is an ever-present in England squads and will likely feature as a winger or as central midfielder in Southgate’s team.
Welbeck, on the other hand, has been absent from the England squad for a while due to his injuries and lack of game time. He missed out on Euro 2016 and the subsequent friendlies and qualifiers. This call-up will be a welcome return.
England have a two point lead in Group F with four qualifiers to play. They’re fully expected to win the group but haven’t looked entirely convincing under Southgate.
Their last outing was a 2-2 draw against Scotland, which the Three Lions had to rescue in the last minute. Oxlade-Chamberlain set-up England’s first goal in that match.
The full squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers
Jack Butland (Stoke City), Joe Hart (West Ham United, on loan from Manchester City), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders
Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Aaron Cresswell (West Ham United), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Michael Keane (Everton), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Harry Maguire (Leicester City)
Midfielders
Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Nathaniel Chalobah (Watford), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jake Livermore (West Bromwich Albion), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal)
Forwards
Jermain Defoe (AFC Bournemouth), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)