Lee Carsley names first England squad as interim boss with Grealish and Madueke included

England’s interim boss Lee Carsley has named his 26-man squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Chelsea’s Noni Madueke has earned his first call-up, after impressing for the Blues so far in the 2024-25 campaign.

Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Tino Livramento are the other three names to have been given the opportunity to represent their country.

Jude Bellingham misses out through injury.

Alongside plenty of new faces, several old ones have been recalled by Carsley.

Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire have both returned, as has Nick Pope after the trio missed out on Euro 2024 selection.

But there is no place for Tottenham’s James Maddison, who misses out again despite an impressive start to the new season.

Both Ivan Toney and Aaron Ramsdale have been dropped from the squad after travelling to Germany this summer.

Marcus Rashford and Kyle Walker are two other notable absences, with Carsley opting for youth and some of his favoured Under-21 players instead.

Here’s Lee Carsley’s first #ThreeLions squad! 👀

— England (@England) August 29, 2024

The new-look squad will give plenty of youngsters the chance to shine, starting on 7 September against the Republic of Ireland.

There is no inclusion of Kieran Trippier, who announced his retirement from international football earlier in the week.

Livramento will provide a new option at both right and left-back, with both Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell missing out.

Meanwhile, Morgan Gibbs-White will get his chance in the senior squad, fending off competition from Maddison.

Madueke scored a hat-trick against Wolves recently and is deserving of a spot.

Proud moment

Following the squad announcement, Carsley sat down in front of the media to reflect on some of his decisions.

He opened by saying: “I think it’s a real proud moment, it’s been a hectic few weeks to get used to the magnitude of the job.

“I think it’s fair to say that the job that Gareth [Southgate] and Steve [Holland] did, and the position I’m now in picking the current job is completely different to what they inherited. I think the expectation around the squad is really exciting.

“It’s important to put my own stamp on the squad but also recognise how well they’ve done in the past. We’ve come so close (to winning a trophy) but I thought it was important to put some fresh faces in the squad.

From #YoungLions to #ThreeLions 🦁

Congratulations to @Morgangibbs27, @agomes_47, @NoniMadueke_ and Tino Livramento on their first senior call-ups! pic.twitter.com/SqIm7Twkq0

— England (@England) August 29, 2024

“I’m really fortunate to have the pool of players to pick from. We have some really exciting attacking players, and if we can get them in positions where they can demonstrate their ability.

“In the summer we had to be very creative with the way we played because we had a lack of players in certain positions.

 “I think looking at the squad we picked today, I’ve worked with the majority of them – including from when I was with the under-21s.

“The [four] players that have been called up for their first caps are really exciting players. They were great phone calls to make – I was very proud to congratulate them and they fully deserve the chances they’re going to get.”

England squad in full

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope(Newcastle United)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)