There's a few surprise names in the latest England squad
Let's list the new faces in ascending order of unexpectedness...
James Maddison (decent start to life at Leicester, was always more likely than not), Jadon Sancho (on fire at Dortmund but, you know, forrun) and Mason Mount! Really didn't see that last one coming! The on-loan Chelsea midfielder has been excellent for Derby, but they're in the gosh-darn Championship!
Good to know that loan move down the leagues needn't be a barrier to international recognition though, eh? It'll hopefully inspire a few big club bench warmers to do the same.
Squad!
BREAKING: Jadon Sancho, Mason Mount, Nathaniel Chalobah and James Maddison all called up to the England squad to face Spain and Croatia
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) October 4, 2018
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It'll be interesting to see a bit more of Joe Gomez, Harry Winks and Nathaniel Chalobah as well. The future doesn't look entirely terrible.
England will face Croatia in the Nation's League (still not fully understanding this) on October 12th, then it's Spain again three days later.
In other news, Gareth Southgate's been handed a contract extension to 2022, despite losing four of his last five fixtures. Fraud!