Chelsea attacker Raheem Sterling and England striker Eddie Nketiah have been left out of the England squad for November’s Euro 2024 qualifiers with Malta and North Macedonia.
The Three Lions have already confirmed their place at next year’s tournament in Germany, taking 16 points from six games in Group C to seal a first-placed finish with two matches to spare.
England are yet to guarantee a first-placed finish, though, and they will welcome Malta to Wembley on November 17 for their penultimate fixture before taking on North Macedonia in Skopje three days later.
Gareth Southgate has stuck with the majority of players from October’s wins over Australia and Italy for his 25-man squad, meaning that Chelsea’s Sterling is once again absent from the group.
The former Liverpool man has not represented his nation since the 2022 World Cup but has begun November positively, scoring in an EFL Cup win over Blackburn Rovers before providing an assist for Nicolas Jackson in a 4-1 crushing of Tottenham Hotspur.
However, Sterling’s contributions have not been enough for him to force his way back into Southgate’s good books, and Nketiah has also been dropped from the squad after earning his first senior cap against Australia last month.
The 24-year-old recently hit a hat-trick in a 5-0 Premier League win over Sheffield United, but he missed the Gunners’ 2-0 Champions League win over Sevilla on Wednesday night due to an ankle injury.
Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson takes advantage of Nketiah’s absence to earn a recall to the England squad, despite also coming off at half time in the Magpies’ loss to Borussia Dortmund with a hamstring injury, while Bukayo Saka and James Maddison are included amid similar circumstances.
Saka hobbled off with an apparent ankle issue against Sevilla on Wednesday, while Maddison sustained a problem in the same area during Spurs’ 4-1 loss to Chelsea, but the pair have earned call-ups regardless.
Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins have both held their spots in the group, but fit-again Crystal Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze is overlooked, as is Manchester United’s Mason Mount, who has not been called up since March.
Al-Ettifaq’s Jordan Henderson has also been included, as has Kalvin Phillips amid his continued lack of action for Manchester City, while Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is listed as a midfielder again.
Further back, Southgate has decided not to risk injury-plagued Chelsea right-back Reece James, who has only just made his comeback from a severe hamstring injury, and Arsenal regular Ben White has also been omitted once again.
John Stones drops out of the squad after picking up a muscular problem with Manchester City in the Champions League, but it is an otherwise unchanged defence for the Three Lions.
Southgate has also stuck with the same goalkeeping trio of Jordan Pickford, Sam Johnstone and Aaron Ramsdale, leaving Newcastle number one Nick Pope out again despite Ramsdale’s demotion to second fiddle at Arsenal.
