MX23RW : Wednesday, January 1 16:26:47| >> :120:3609:3609:

Stoke City's Glen Johnson surprise inclusion in England squad

Gareth Southgate recalls five players to England's latest squad for the upcoming qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia, including a surprise call-up for Glen Johnson.

Glen Johnson has been named in Gareth Southgate's first squad as interim England manager for the upcoming World Cup 2018 qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia.

The Stoke City full-back has not featured for the Three Lions since 2014 and has been restricted to just three Premier League appearances for the Potters this term due to an injury picked up during pre-season.

Injuries to Nathaniel Clyne and Luke Shaw have forced Southgate to turn to Johnson, however, in one of five changes from the first - and last - squad named by ex-manager Sam Allardyce last month.

Attacking Manchester United duo Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford are also included in the 23-man party, with the latter stepping up from Under-21s duty after scoring a hat-trick on his debut at that level.

Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also makes the cut for the double-header against Malta and Slovenia, as England look to build on last month's 1-0 victory over Slovakia in their opening qualifying fixture.

Midfielders Lallana and Danny Drinkwater, of Liverpool and Leicester City respectively, both miss out due to injuries picked up this weekend on club duty.

Southgate will take charge of the Three Lions' remaining four fixtures this calendar year following Allardyce's dismissal earlier this week for making comments on circumnavigating the rules on third-party ownership.

England squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Torino, on loan from Manchester City), Tom Heaton (Burnley)

Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Stoke), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Tottenham)

Midfielders: Eric Dier (Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Michail Antonio (West Ham), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Dele Alli (Tottenham)

Strikers: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester)

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Daniel Lewis
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool18143145172845
2Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest1911442619737
3Arsenal18106235161936
4Chelsea19105438231535
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle1995532211132
6Manchester CityMan City199463226631
7Bournemouth198652923630
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9Aston Villa198562831-329
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton196942928127
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1973941281324
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13West Ham UnitedWest Ham196582335-1223
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd196492126-522
15Crystal Palace194872027-720
16Everton183871524-917
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1944113142-1116
18Ipswich TownIpswich1936101833-1515
19Leicester CityLeicester1935112242-2014
20Southampton1913151239-276


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