Gareth Southgate has named his England 24-man squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark.

 UEFA gave the permission in June for the Nations League to go-ahead despite the postponement of the EURO 2020 tournament due to the COVID-19 break. The Three Lions secured a third-place finish in the inaugural event won by Portugal and hopes to improve upon the performance.

The shocking name to have made it in the final list is the inclusion of Manchester United’s forward who is facing trial in Greece after been charged with aggravated assault and attempted bribery of an official following a late-night dispute on the island of Mykonos, although the player has denied all the allegations.

Dean Henderson of Manchester United, Everton’s Jordan Pickford, and Burnley’s Nick Pope are the names of the shot-stoppers named by the manager.

City’s Phil Foden, Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood, and Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips have all been called up for the first time whiles Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson (knee) and Leicester defender Ben Chilwell (heel) missed out through injury.

The manager revealed that it took a lot of teamwork to provide the finest team for the upcoming competitions.

“It’s ten months since I was last able to announce a squad which is certainly longer than expected. Frustrating for all of us to not be involved and for the players. 

“It means now that we have an incredible two years of football. In our aim to be the best team in the world these are significant steps to take. 

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 “This has probably been the most complicated selection process.”

On why he chose Maguire despite the intense focus on his action which might weigh the Three Lions in their respective games, the manager believes Harry has his own side of the story therefore he couldn’t deny the defender the right to represent the country based on hearsays.

“I’m not going to get into hypothetical situations but I’ve got to reserve the right to review if further information becomes available. 

“When you’re a manager you always make decisions to the best of your ability with the information you’re given. People may agree or disagree with those decisions. 

“At this moment in time that’s where I am with it. Harry regrets the fact that he’s brought that focus and attention on the team and he apologized for that, but he also has his own side of the story which will come out in time.”

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eric Dier, Joe Gomez, Michael Keane, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker

Midfielders: Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse, Harry Winks

Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Mason Greenwood, Danny Ings, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling