England have called up Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters and the Crystal Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell for the first time after Gareth Southgate’s squad was hit with a number of withdrawals.
The Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins also returns, along with the West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, for the friendly matches with Switzerland and Ivory Coast on Saturday and next Tuesday respectively.
The quartet replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Aaron Ramsdale and Tammy Abraham, who have all withdrawn through injury.
The fitness setback for Abraham is badly timed given his recent form, with the striker’s two goals in Roma’s 3-0 derby success over Lazio on Sunday taking his tally for the season to an impressive 23 goals.
The former Chelsea striker would have been hoping to press his claims to emerge as backup to the England captain Harry Kane in the continued absence of Patrick Bamford and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who are both injured.
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The door is now ajar for Watkins to prove his credentials having been overlooked in the summer for a place in the Euro 2020 squad.
Southgate said Mitchell had been close to being included in his original 25-man squad and it will be the left back’s first involvement with England at any level.
Walker-Peters, a right back, won the Under-20 World Cup with England in 2017 and has represented his country from the Under-18s through to the Under-21s.
Southampton have been using 24-year-old Walker-Peters as a left back, with Tino Livramento preferred in the other full-back position. Livramento has been included in the Under-21 squad.
Mitchell and Walker-Peters take the number of different players Southgate has selected since becoming manager in October 2016 to 97. Of those, 83 have played, highlighting the reservoir of talent at the England coach’s disposal.
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Manchester City’s Kyle Walker was overlooked for the squad because Southgate was committed to giving opportunities to Alexander-Arnold and James.
Despite their unavailability, the England coach has resisted the temptation to turn back to Walker, who he has pencilled in for his squad for June’s Nations League matches.
Similarly, Luke Shaw was the only left back named in Southgate’s squad given Ben Chilwell’s injury. Shaw has not played for Manchester United since February 26.
The hip injury suffered by Ramsdale comes as Southgate has been planning to rotate his goalkeepers across the two games. It remains to be seen whether that plan remains, with Burnley’s Nick Pope and Johnstone the understudy options to first-choice Jordan Pickford.
