England call up Elliot Anderson as Trent Alexander-Arnold left out of squad for World Cup qualifiers | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel has handed Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Tottenham’s Djed Spence their first England call-ups ahead of September’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.

Real Madrid’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is a notable omission from the squad, while Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer are also missing after sustaining muscle injuries in the Premier League last weekend. Alexander-Arnold’s teammate Jude Bellingham is also injured.

England host Andorra on 6 September before the Group K leaders head to Belgrade to face Serbia on 9 September as World Cup qualification continues, and Tuchel has named a 23-man squad for the double-header.

Spence, 25, has performed well in the early part of the season playing for new Spurs manager Thomas Frank at left-back.

“He had a very good end to the season with Tottenham and a very impressive start to the season,” explained Tuchel. “He was impressively good against Paris in the European Super Cup final. He came up against a lot of quality on his side, against a lot of speed and handled it impressively well and kept on going with Tottenham in the Premier League starts. He can play both sides, he plays very intense, he’s in shape and he deserved to be called up.”

On Anderson, who helped England win the U21 Euros over the summer and was selected for team of the tournament, Tuchel added: “Elliot Anderson is very physical, a lot of volume, very precise, clean passing, so it’s a good package. Elliot was a key player in the tournament, pressed a lot in central midfield and a regular player for Nottingham Forest – they had a fantastic season. The end of the season, he had the title with the under-21s, and he’s excited to come and join us and I hope he can make his mark.”

Elliot Anderson and Djed Spence have been called up by England (PA Images)

Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton is included in a Tuchel squad for the first time, while Marcus Rashford is back in the fold after missing England’s two summer fixtures with injury.

Fit-again John Stones is also included for the first time since Tuchel took charge, although he spent time with the group in Spain during the June camp as he continued his rehabilitation from a thigh injury.

Phil Foden is also missing after barely featuring for Manchester City so far this season, while Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire continue to be overlooked.

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, James Trafford, Dean Henderson.

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jordan Henderson, Adam Wharton, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice.