Thomas Tuchel has named Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo as part of a bumper 35-man England squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
The Three Lions face Uruguay on Friday, March 27, before taking on Japan on Tuesday, March 31. And the German boss has made some big calls ahead of the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer, including selecting the young midfielder who not long ago had been cast into the wilderness for club and country.
Mainoo, 20, has been recalled, alongside another promising youngster in the shape of Newcastle United's Lewis Hall. Mainoo has been reborn at Old Trafford under interim manager Michael Carrick, while Hall, 21, has been in excellent form for the Magpies.
Michael Carrick and Kobbie Mainoo during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
Kobbie Mainoo has been a regular under Michael Carrick (Image: NurPhoto, NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Mainoo has not featured for England since the 2-0 victory over Ireland in the Nations League. The United midfielder has not represented his country under Tuchel. He found himself out on the periphery under Ruben Amorim, but now can add to his 10 caps for the Three Lions.
He is joined by another resurgent United ace, defensive stalwart Harry Maguire, 33. The veteran, who became a Three Lions cult hero at the 2018 World Cup, has also not featured under Tuchel so far.
Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Everton midfielder James Garner have also been included in today’s England squad.
Former Toffees ace Calvert-Lewin already has 11 caps to his name but hasn’t played for his country for five years. While Garner has represented England at every youth level from the under-17s to the under-21s, but has never received a senior call-up.
Explaining the 35-man squad, Tuchel said: "We decided to divide it into basically two camps almost, so we bring players in that we haven’t seen who haven’t played so much to open up the picture, and the competition for plane tickets to the US.
"Then from Friday and Saturday, a group of players will come into camp – ten or eleven players who get a rest before and we will then go with a new group and mix of players into the match against Japan."
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been a goal machine for Leeds
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been a goal machine for Leeds (Image: Justin Setterfield)
England will play New Zealand on June 6 and Costa Rica in a friendly on June 10, a week before the start of the World Cup, before their first group match against Croatia on June 17. They will then go on to face Ghana on June 23 before a potentially pivotal final group match against Panama.
The England squad is here!
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Aaron Ramsdale, Jason Steele, James Trafford
Defenders: Harry Maguire, Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Tino Livramento, Nico O'Reilly, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori, Lewis Hall
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Kobbie Mainoo, James Garner, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Adam Wharton
Forwards: Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Dominic Solanke