Callum Hudson-Odoi will be rewarded for his outstanding progress this season with a first England Under-21 call-up.
The Chelsea winger, who was the subject of persistent interest from Bayern Munich in January, was part of the England Under-17 team that won the World Cup in 2017.
However he has made such strides for Chelsea that Aidy Boothroyd, the Under-21 head coach, will include him in his squad for the forthcoming friendlies against Poland and Germany.
The 18-year-old will win his first cap as Boothroyd assesses all his options before this summer’s European Championships, which begin on June 16 in Italy and San Marino.
Boothroyd had wanted to include Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff in his group but was denied the chance due to the midfielder suffering a season-ending knee injury.
He will also look to appoint a new captain as Lewis Cook, the Bournemouth midfielder, is also out for the season. Liverpool defender Joe Gomez was originally selected to be Boothroyd’s skipper but he has now graduated to the senior ranks.