November 13, (THEWILL) – The England men’s national football team manager, Gareth Southgate, has added three new young talents – Cole Palmer of Chelsea, Rico Lewis of Manchester City, and Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa – to the Three Lions squad for the upcoming November international break.
The call-ups come after injuries forced withdrawals from Southgate’s initial selections, including James Maddison, Lewis Dunk and Callum Wilson. Further changes to the England team may still occur in the coming days as additional fitness tests are conducted.
Teenager Lewis, praised by manager Pep Guardiola as having massive potential, has featured in 10 matches for Man City this 2023/2024 season. Palmer scored a dramatic stoppage-time equalizer for Chelsea in their thrilling 4-4 draw with City over the weekend, continuing his impressive form. And Konsa has been ever-present in defence as Aston Villa have surged up the English Premier League table under Unai Emery.
The trio of fresh faces now have the chance to earn their first senior England caps in the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia. England have already clinched qualification for the tournament, but need one more point to secure first place in Group C.
Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Levi Colwill are among other England players facing late fitness tests ahead of joining up with the squad on Monday. The international break provides an opportunity for Southgate to blood new talent while some regular starters recover from recent injuries.
