England manager Gareth Southgate has announced his squad for the upcoming fixtures against Andorra and Hungary. Fikayo Tomori and Phil Foden have returned to the squad, while Mason Greenwood and Jude Bellingham have been left out.
Southgate has recalled AC Milan defender Tomori following a decent run of form for the Italian side. Southgate highlighted his delight to see the former Chelsea player relishing his new role in the Seria A.
"I was very impressed. I thought he finished last season well, and then he started well again this season. He's performing under pressure at a big club. I thought he did very well against Liverpool in the Champions League.
"I like Fikayo because he's got speed, and he's confident to defend on the front foot. Milan has been a really good experience for him."
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Liverpool's Roberto Firmino (left) during the Premier League match at Villa Park, Birmingham.Southgate also spoke highly of Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins, who was also recalled to the international squad.
"He was very close to making the squad for the Euros. I liked his mentality when he was with us. Ollie impressed us with his mentality and his ability."
While Tomori and Watkins were recalled, youngsters Mason Greenwood and Jude Bellingham have missed out on the international call-up. Southgate admitted the decision came based on the amount of games the teenagers have played in recent weeks.
"They're young players with a heavy load at the minute. I've spoken with both players. Jude has got a high level of matches. He’s playing champions league and league games at 18 years of age.
"With young player development, we've got to be careful. We don’t want to overload them. They're both playing very well. We’d be picking them if we didn’t have those longer-term ambitions in mind."
Tammy Abraham was another omission from Southgate's squad. Like his former teammate and longtime friend Tomori, Abraham left Chelsea for the Serie A this summer to find more game time. Abraham has played well under Jose Mourinho at Roma and has three goals and two assists in his first seven matches.
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