It is a moment of jubilation for Chelsea fans as their players made the cut for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Hungary
Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Reece James were both sidelined through injury as Stamford Bridge club suffered their first defeat in their quest to defend their UEFA Champions League trophy against Juventus at Turin on Wednesday night, but have been able to make the tough England list in their forthcoming World Cup qualifier double header.
While Reece had only missed Chelsea’s last game in Turin through injury he sustained at Stamford Bridge in their first Premier League game this season against Manchester City, Mount had missed the last two games both against the Citizens and the Old Ladies due to the ‘minor knock’ he sustained in last week’s Carabao Cup match against Aston Villa.
England boss, Gareth Southgate discussing the duo’s inclusion maintained: ‘Our understanding is that Mason and Reece have a good chance for the weekend.
‘We will track that.’
Meanwhile, former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori now with AC Milan has also been called up while Ollie Watkins who helped Aston Villa hand Manchester United their first shock Premier League defeat this season and Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal have all been brought into the England squad.
Southgate could be missing the services of several key players with the likes of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and United’s Luke Shaw also a doubt as the Three Lions resume their qualifying campaign for Qatar 2022 next week when they play guest to Andorra on October 9 before hosting Hungary at Wembley on October 12.
Tomori’s inclusion however could be an attempt to give Villa’s Tyrone Mings a competition for a place as a result of the latest injury concern to Manchester United’s captain Harry Maguire.
Milan’s Tomori is one of the players who has caught Southgate’s eye with the manager admitting he likes his style of play.
‘Very impressed with the way he is playing for Milan, we were tracking him very closely at the end of last season,’ he said.
Discussing their absence, Southgate said: ‘They’re both young players with a heavy load. These lads are still physically growing. I’ve spoken to both.
‘We have to be careful how we handle them. They are going to be very exciting players for England in the future and we don’t want to overload them.
‘I’ve come to the decision through talking to the player and their families not doing a deal with the clubs.
‘We’d be picking them if we didn’t have those longer-term considerations.’
Southgate and England will be hoping for a maximum six points to solidify their chances of playing in Qatar next year.