London (AFP) – Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has been handed an England recall by manager Gareth Southgate for next month’s matches against Spain and Switzerland.
The 23-year-old has not played for his country since a 1-0 loss to Germany in 2017 but has returned at the expense of Old Trafford teammate Ashley Young in England’s first squad since the World Cup.
Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has also earned a first call-up with Joe Gomez and James Tarkowski returning for the UEFA Nations League game at Wembley against Spain on September 8 and friendly in Leicester with Switzerland three days later.
Southgate has also given Adam Lallana a recall after the Liverpool midfielder was left out of the World Cup squad following an injury-plagued campaign.
Midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek keeps his place after impressing in Russia in the summer, despite playing just 22 minutes for Chelsea this season.
“We’re on the back of a successful tournament,” said Southgate. “Not too much can have changed in that time because we reached the semi-final and there have only been three league games.
“We had some mature conversations with Jamie Vardy, Gary Cahill and Ashley Young in terms of the desire to look at younger players. We had five changes anyway and we felt that was enough. We also won’t stand still.
“Luke Shaw is still only 23, Joe Gomez is 21 so we have lowered the age again. We are aware of the excitement around other young players but it might be a bit too early for some.”
England squad to face Spain on September 8 and Switzerland on September 11:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jack Butland (Stoke), Alex McCarthy (Southampton)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Harry Maguire (Leicester), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), James Tarkowski (Burnley), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea)
Forwards: Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)
