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New England manager Lee Carsley has announced his first squad since taking charge of the national side.
Two United players have been selected for the upcoming Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, respectively.
Here’s Lee Carsley’s first #ThreeLions squad! 👀
— England (@England) August 29, 2024
Harry Maguire is back in the fold after missing out on the European Championships through injury and Kobbie Mainoo retains his place in the squad.
There is still no place for Marcus Rashford, however, whose poor domestic form continues to plague his international career.
Maguire’s recall will come as a relief to the centre-half who could well regain his place back in the starting XI with England struggling for quality in the heart of defence.
The 31-year-old suffered a difficult afternoon in United’s recent loss to Brighton but has been largely reliable for his country despite patchy form at club level.
Kobbie Mainoo shone in the Euros and Carsley will be well aware of the young man’s ability having been part of the coaching staff in the summer.
Mainoo is likely to line up alongside Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice as England look to build the side around those two in the middle of the park.
Rashford’s omission will serve as another huge blow to a player who looks void of any confidence at present.
The forward hasn’t showed any signs of shaking last year’s poor form in the opening two fixtures of the season and is facing a fight for his place in Erik ten Hag’s side, let alone England’s.
Carsley spoke on the decision to leave out Rashford, alongside Spurs star James Maddison, challenging the pair to get back to their best to return to the fold, as reported by the Independent.
“I just think at the minute there’s players, you know, ahead of them. They’re both players that have done really well for England and their clubs in the past. They’re players that are definitely on the radar,” he said.
Luke Shaw is also missing from the squad with a calf injury ruling him out for the first couple of months of the new campaign.
Former United player Angel Gomes is also part of Carsley’s first squad, a fine reward for his outstanding season in Ligue 1 last year.
Gomes recently suffered a horrible head injury but will be fully fit for the upcoming England games and no doubt desperate to earn his first international cap.
England travel to Ireland for the first of the double header on September 7 before a home game against Finland on the 10th wraps up the first international break of the season.
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2024-08-29 15:00:07
