England squad: Anthony Gordon and Jarrad Branthwaite receive first call-ups – MyCyberBase

Anthony Gordon and Jarrad Branthwaite have received their first England call-ups and Ivan Toney has been recalled for the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium this month.

Brentford striker Toney, 28, features for the first time since completing an eight-month ban for breaching FA betting rules in January.

Uncapped Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, 26, has also been named in the 25-man squad.

England play Brazil on 23 March and Belgium on 26 March – both at Wembley – their final games before manager Gareth Southgate names his squad for Euro 2024.

Defender Joe Gomez, who has not played for England since 2020, has been included after impressing for Liverpool at left-back, centre-back and right-back this season.

Former Liverpool team-mate Jordan Henderson, now at Ajax, has been selected, but midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who is on loan at West Ham from Manchester City, misses out.

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer features, while Blues team-mate Raheem Sterling has been overlooked again.

Meanwhile, Southgate said he received a call from Arsenal sporting director Edu last week to say in-form defender Ben White did not want to be considered for selection.

England squad

Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).

Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kyle Walker (Man City).

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), James Maddison (Tottenham), Declan Rice (Arsenal).

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Man City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Man United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

Southgate ‘surprised’ by Branthwaite’s rapid rise

Branthwaite has been a standout performer for Everton this season, scoring two goals in 25 Premier League games.

“We watched him as a back-up centre-half for the under-21s,” said Southgate. “If you said a year ago he would consistently play in the Premier League, I would have been surprised.

“Credit to [Everton manager] Sean Dyche. He’s in on merit. We’re looking forward to having a look at him.”

Gomez, 26, has made 24 league appearances for Liverpool this season, filling in in a number of roles to cover for injuries.

“He’s such a lovely boy. I’ve known him since the under-17s won in Malta when he was at Charlton. We love working with Joe,” said Southgate.

Phillips, a regular member of Southgate’s previous squads, has struggled for form since joining West Ham.

“At the moment, I couldn’t be confident on the performances Kalvin’s had in the last few weeks that he could go into the field and do the job we know that he’s capable of,” said the England boss.

“That’s perhaps the lowest it can get for him in terms of the last few months. Now he can just go for it and be himself.

“He knows exactly what we think of him. A good version of him is an important player for us. We don’t have many players of that profile.”

Meanwhile, Southgate said midfielder Henderson, who has 80 England caps, has been included for his “winning experience and winning mentality”.

“The influence that he can have on a game still – he’s clearly not a 24-year-old Hendo. But to win football matches, you need a lot of different characteristics,” Southgate added.

“He’s desperate to remain part of this and, for us, at this moment in time he can still play a valuable role.”

Analysis

Phil McNulty, BBC Sport chief football writer

England’s squad for the forthcoming friendlies at Wembley is notable both for eye-catching inclusions and one particularly significant exclusion.

Southgate has now accepted there are no grounds to continue selecting Kalvin Phillips after a show of loyalty that stretched way beyond what the midfielder, a regular squad presence throughout recent years, was producing at club level.

Phillips was on the margins at Manchester City and a January loan move to West Ham United, designed to re-ignite his career and give him game time to press his claims for Euro 2024, has been a nightmare.

Elsewhere, there is positive news for others as Southgate examines his options before finalising his plans for Germany in the summer.

Branthwaite’s first England call-up is a fully deserved reward, while Gomez is another who merits his place in the squad, displaying remarkable versatility as well as consistency in Liverpool’s tilt at four trophies.

England’s central defence is the main question mark going into Euro 2024 so there is plenty of incentive for Branthwaite and Gomez, along with Aston Villa’s Konsa, who will be hoping to be rewarded for his consistency with a full debut.

Southgate has also shown his enduring faith in 33-year-old Henderson after his return to Europe with Ajax following an ill-fated and much-criticised move to the Saudi Pro League with Al-Ettifaq.