LONDON, United Kingdom, Aug 29 – Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Wolves defender Conor Coady received their first England call-ups on Saturday.
England manager Gareth Southgate named his squad for September’s Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark on Tuesday.
But Southgate was forced to withdraw Manchester United’s Harry Maguire from the group hours later following the defender’s guilty verdict in a Greek court case.
Maguire will appeal against the suspended prison sentence, but for now he remains out of the England squad.
Southgate has strengthened his options by bringing in Coady and Maitland-Niles for the first time.
Wolves captain Coady has been a mainstay during their impressive two years back in the Premier League, helping the side to back-to-back seventh-placed finishes.
Maitland-Niles’ call-up made it a 23rd birthday to remember after he was voted man of the match in Arsenal’s Community Shield win against Liverpool at Wembley earlier in the day.
The pair will join the England squad at their St George’s Park training camp on Monday, but there could yet be further changes.
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is believed to be suffering with an ankle issue, while there are reports that the coronavirus is impacting a number of England’s players.
England face Iceland in Reykjavik on September 5 before playing Denmark in Copenhagen three days later.
