Bowen and Justin get first England call ups in Nations League squad

LONDON: England have called up West Ham United's Jarrod Bowen and Leicester City defender James Justin for the first time in manager Gareth Southgate's squad for matches against Hungary, Italy and Germany in the Nations League next month.

Bowen had a fine season for West Ham, finishing the campaign as the club's top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions and helping the club reach the Europa League semi-finals.

"We were certainly thinking about involving him (Bowen) in March before he got injured," Southgate told a news conference at Wembley. "He's a goal threat, he's direct," he added of Bowen who came through the ranks at Hereford United and Hull City.

"His journey is really interesting in terms of experiences he's had. It's a reminder you don't just have to be at an elite academy and come through that pathway. Playing in the lower divisions and to have that experience is a great route to go.

"He works incredibly hard for the team, which we want all our forward players to do. He's thoroughly deserved his call up."

There is also a recall for defender Fikayo Tomori, who has just helped AC Milan win their first Serie A title in 11 years.

In total there are five players included who can play at right back and no natural left backs, although Justin has played in that position for Leicester.

England open their Nations League A Group 3 campaign against Hungary on June 4 in Budapest, behind closed doors due to incidents during Hungary's Euro 2020 games at the Puskas Arena, followed by a trip to Germany three days later.

Southgate's side host Italy on Jun 11 in a rematch of the Euro 2020 final, which the Italians won on penalties.

That match at Molineux will also be behind closed doors because of crowd trouble before the Euros