Sancho, Mount and Maddison get first England call-ups from Southgate

Jadon Sancho, Mason Mount and Nathaniel Chalobah have been called into the England squad along with James Maddison.

Borussia Dortmund’s Sancho, the midfielder Mount, who is on loan at Derby from Chelsea, and Watford’s Chalobah have been included by Gareth Southgate for this month’s Nations League games against Croatia and Spain.

Sancho and Mount have been included for the first time, as has Maddison, who has made an impressive start to the season at Leicester. Chalobah is back in the squad after recovering from a long-term knee injury.

There is also space in the 25-man squad for Harry Winks and Ross Barkley.

READ MORE: 10 England internationals who have totally fallen off the radar

READ MORE: Ranked! The best 15 African players in Premier League history

READ MORE: 20 teen sensations who quickly faded into obscurity

Southgate has expressed delight at signing a new contract to the 2022 World Cup finals. The manager has been rewarded with a deal worth close to £3m a year after leading the team to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia. Steve Holland, his assistant, has also signed new terms.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to lead the national team through the next two major tournaments,” Southgate said. “The job remains an incredible privilege and a true honour. Experiencing at first-hand how the nation united behind the team this summer was something special and it will be great to see how far this young squad can go in the years to come.”

Martin Glenn, the FA chief executive, praised Southgate for his work with the senior team, in particular the confidence that he has restored, and described the 48-year-old as “a tremendous ambassador” for the governing body. “Securing Gareth on a longer-term contract was always a priority for us,” Glenn said. “He has performed remarkably well and has given everyone the belief that England can compete on a world stage again.”

Martin O’Neill has said he has been told that reports that West Ham’s Declan Rice has chosen to play for England rather than Republic of Ireland are “inaccurate”. Ireland’s manager said: “I’ve used the word ‘hopeful’, I’ve said it again so that’s exactly where it stands.”

The Leicester midfielder, Harvey Barnes, who is on loan at West Bromwich Albion, will be named in England’s under-21 squad for the first time. He scored a spectacular equaliser at Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday.