Roy Hodgson has officially announced his squad for England's upcoming fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Slovenia, to be played in early to mid June. Three players have been given their debut call-ups to the senior side, with Burnley's Tom Heaton, QPR striker Charlie Austin and Leicester forward Jamie Vardy all being named in the 24-man squad.
The trio have enjoyed breakthrough campaigns for their respective clubs, despite Heaton and Austin facing the disappointment of playing Championship football next season, as Burnley and Queen's Park Rangers have been relegated from the Premier League in recent weeks. The duo have been linked with transfer moves to clubs in the top flight, as Liverpool, Southampton and Tottenham are amongst the clubs reportedly interested in their services, they've stood out as their side's best players and they've earned their call-ups to the England senior team.
Vardy has scored four and created ten assists for Leicester this season, helping Nigel Pearson's team to survive the drop this year after a remarkable turnaround in fortune over the past two months. Austin has scored 17 goals in the league alone, and only Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane and Diego Costa have totalled more in the top flight this campaign. Heaton meanwhile has recorded nine clean sheets this term, making a plethora of fine saves to keep the Clarets in the division, but unfortunately for him, things have not been at their best for the club itself this year, struggling to score many goals and as a result being picked off by opposition sides who've figured out how to break Sean Dyche's men down.
Heaton will be a back-up goalkeeper to Manchester City's Joe Hart and QPR's Robert Green, as Fraser Forster and Ben Foster have both suffered long-term injuries and will not feature until the start of next season in August at least. Vardy and Austin are expected to feature at some stage in either of the two fixtures, with Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck leading the frontline of attack currently, whilst contract rebel Raheem Sterling, Andros Townsend and Theo Walcott retain their places in the squad whilst surprisngly, an in-form Ashley Young has been left out.
The team in full:
Goalkeepers: Robert Green (QPR), Joe Hart (Man City) and Tom Heaton (Burnley)
Defenders: Ryan Bertrand and Nathaniel Clyne (both Southampton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal) and Chris Smalling (Man Utd)
Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Everton), Fabian Delph (Aston Villa), Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling (all Liverpool), Ryan Mason and Andros Townsend (both Tottenham), James Milner (Man City), Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere (both Arsenal)
Forwards: Charlie Austin (QPR), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd), Jamie Vardy (Leicester) and Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)
Roy Hodgson had the following to say, in his press briefing: "I'm pleased with the squad and pleased to welcome three people who get the chance, to some extent, due to the U21 squad for the Euros. We've always had our eye on Charlie [Austin], but up to this point we haven't had the space in the squad. We'll give him every chance. I saw Jamie Vardy at Fleetwood and players like him who like running in-behind defenders are good for coaches, he's had a good season.
Gareth Southgate was so sensible in his approach for the U21's squad. He has a group of players who have helped England qualify for Finals. I'm disappointed for Luke Shaw that he can't go to Czech Republic with the U21's, but hopefully we will have him back fully fit next season. On this occasion, I decided it probably wasn't the right time for Ashley Young to come back, but he has done well for Manchester United recently. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is injured, he's making progress but I don't think it will improve sufficiently before our games."