Ross Barkley and Andros Townsend called up for England's WC qualifiers campaign
Ross Barkley
England manager Roy Hodgson has relied on youth by calling up Everton’s teenaged midfielder Ross Barkley and Tottenham’s pacy winger Andros Townsend for the upcoming qualifiers against Moldova at home on September 6 and the Ukraine in Kiev on September 10.
Both Barkley and Townsend have been in fine form for their respective clubs in the early part of the new campaign with the former particularly impressing everybody with his work ethic and a wonderful goal at home to Norwich on the opening day of the Barclays Premier League season and the 19-year-old was also on target for England U-21 against Scotland a couple of weeks earlier at Bramall Lane.
22-year-old Andros Townsend used his pace to really good effect against Swansea on Sunday and Roy Hodgson rewarded the England U-21 international with his first senior call up.
The winger impressed while on loan at QPR in the second half of last season and has won a place in the Tottenham squad impressing Andre Villas-Boas on the way. He started and won the winning penalty against Swansea on Sunday and also scored in their 5-0 demolition of Dinamo Tblisi in the Europa League play-off round last Thursday.
Townsend was fined £18,000 in June for breaching the FA’s strict betting rules and he was subsequently banned by the association which led the midfielder to voluntarily withdraw from the England U-21 squad for this summer’s ill-fated European Championships in Israel.
Liverpool‘s in-form striker Daniel Sturridge returns to the Three Lions fold after injury ruled him out against Scotland and is favourite to lead the line against Moldova at least while Southampton’s Rickie Lambert’s dream debut against the Scots seems to have assured Hodgson that he can stick with the 31-year-old for a bit longer.
Manchester United‘s Wilfried Zaha and Swansea’s Jonjo Shelvey have impressed the England boss already but both will feel unlucky to have missed the cut.
Elsewhere, uncapped Celtic shot stopper Fraser Forster replaces the injured Ben Foster but Manchester City’s under fire keeper Joe Hart still remains England No.1 with Norwich’s John Ruddy his number 2.
The volume of the squad and its early announcement prove that Roy Hodgson is particularly concerned about the big Premier League matches preceding the World Cup qualifiers with the Sunday games featuring Liverpool v Manchester United and the North London derby keeping the former West Brom boss nervy as there will be injury concerns ahead of an important international schedule for the Three Lions.
The squad looks to have a balanced mix of youth and experience with Steven Gerrard set to wear the captain’s arm band.
Earlier in the day, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger launched a plea to the England coach not to over-utilize key midfielder Jack Wilshere, and even suggesting Roy Hodgson to drop him for the Moldova game giving rise to another potential club versus country debate.
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy (Norwich City), Fraser Forster (Celtic)
Defenders: Phil Jones (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Leighton Baines (Everton), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Jack Wilshere(Arsenal), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), James Milner (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Ross Barkley (Everton), Andros Townsend (Tottenham))
Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Rickie Lambert (Southampton)