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Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis, Ezri Konsa receive first senior England call-ups

Palmer, Lewis, Konsa receive first senior England call-ups
© Reuters
Cole Palmer, Rico Lewis and Ezri Konsa earn their first senior England call-ups as James Maddison, Lewis Dunk and Callum Wilson withdraw injured.

Chelsea's Cole Palmer, Manchester City's Rico Lewis and Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa have all been called up to the senior England squad for the first time.

The trio will join Gareth Southgate's ranks for November's Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, as the Three Lions endeavour to seal a first-placed finish in Group C.

Southgate has already been hit with a triple injury blow ahead of the international period, as all of James Maddison, Callum Wilson and Lewis Dunk have withdrawn from the squad in the past few days.

Tottenham Hotspur confirmed on Friday that Maddison would not feature for his country this month due to the ankle issue he picked up against Chelsea, whose summer signing Palmer has been called up to replace him.

The 21-year-old was only afforded fleeting opportunities at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, but he has hit the ground running at Chelsea with four goals and four assists from his opening 11 matches.

Manchester City's Rico Lewis reacts after being substituted on November 2, 2022© Reuters

Palmer scored an injury-time penalty to draw Chelsea level against his old club in Sunday's sensational 4-4 draw, and he formed a part of England's Under-21 European Championship-winning squad this summer, scoring one goal and setting up three more in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion defender Dunk has pulled out of the squad owing to the apparent groin issue he sustained against Ajax in the Europa League, which forced him to miss the weekend's 1-1 draw with Sheffield United.

Taking Dunk's place will be the uncapped Konsa, who has remained a stalwart in the Aston Villa backline despite the recent acquisitions of Pau Torres, Diego Carlos and Clement Lenglet.

The 26-year-old has started all 12 Premier League games for Unai Emery's side this term, helping them amass 25 points to sit fifth in the table, and he has played a fundamental role in their astonishing 13-match home winning streak in the top flight.

Konsa previously represented England at Under-20 and Under-21 level, winning the age-group World Cup with the former in 2017 and making seven appearances for the Under-21s, scoring once.

Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa in August 2023.© Reuters

Finally, Newcastle United striker Wilson was another midweek casualty, sustaining a hamstring issue in his side's Champions League loss to Borussia Dortmund, but Southgate has elected not to bring Raheem Sterling or Eddie Nketiah back into the fold.

Instead, Man City teenager Lewis will be part of the senior troupe for the first time, having continued to go from strength to strength since making his Citizens breakthrough under Guardiola last season.

The 18-year-old has excelled in the Champions League with two assists from three starts in a midfield role, setting up goals against RB Leipzig and Young Boys to help the holders qualify for the last 16 with two games to spare.

Lewis only made his debut for England's Under-21s in March and was included in Lee Carsley's squad for the current international break alongside Palmer before their promotion to the senior ranks.

England have amassed 16 points from their first six games in Euro 2024 qualifying Group C and only need one draw from their final two games against Malta and North Macedonia to ensure a first-placed finish.

Malta visit Wembley for the Three Lions' penultimate fixture on Friday, three days before Southgate's men head to Skopje to close out a successful qualifying campaign against North Macedonia.

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