England's New Era: Carsley Unveils Four Uncapped Stars for Nations League Clash

Lee Carsley has named his first England squad since taking over as interim manager, with four uncapped players receiving maiden call-ups for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Chelsea forward Noni Madueke, Lille midfielder Angel Gomes, Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, and Newcastle defender Tino Livramento will all be hoping to make their senior debuts for England. The quartet previously played under Carsley in England's Under-21 side, with the interim boss highlighting their exciting potential.

Carsley's selection also sees the return of familiar faces, with Jack Grealish, Harry Maguire, and Nick Pope all included. However, notable omissions include Marcus Rashford, Kyle Walker, and Ivan Toney.

Arsenal's Ben White continues to be unavailable for selection, while Newcastle's Kieran Trippier has retired from international football, leading to Livramento's opportunity at right-back. Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham misses out due to injury.

Several players who featured in England's run to the Euro 2024 quarter-finals have been left out, including Aaron Ramsdale, Lewis Dunk, Joe Gomez, Adam Wharton, and the injured Luke Shaw. However, Rico Lewis and Levi Colwill, who have one cap each, are included in the defensive unit, which also features Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Carsley's decision to include Alexander-Arnold as a defender, rather than a midfielder, is another talking point, but the biggest surprise is the inclusion of the four uncapped players.

"It was important to put my own stamp on the squad, but also recognise how well they have done in the past," Carsley said. "We've been so close a couple of times. We have to recognise that, but I thought it was important that we put some fresh faces in and put our own little mark on the squad."

Madueke's inclusion follows his impressive hat-trick in Chelsea's 6-2 victory over Wolves on Sunday, while Livramento has established himself as Eddie Howe's first-choice right-back at Newcastle. Gibbs-White's call-up comes after his goal in Nottingham Forest's 1-0 win over Southampton, while Gomes has earned positive reviews for his performances with Lille in France.

Gomes, like Colwill, Gibbs-White, Madueke, and Anthony Gordon, was part of the U21 squad that won the European Championship under Carsley last year.

England's Nations League opener sees them take on the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, 7 September, kicking off at 5pm. They then face Finland at Wembley on Tuesday, 10 September, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

England's September Nations League squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Nick Pope (Newcastle).

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), John Stones (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Phil Foden (Manchester City).

Forwards: Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

Carsley expressed his excitement about the inclusion of Gibbs-White and Gomes, highlighting their attacking prowess and experience in winning tournaments.

"Morgan's a very attacking player, full of energy, very creative and exciting. Brilliant attitude and work-rate, very difficult to play against," Carsley said. "He's been very successful with England, which I thought was important – a lot of these players we've called in are used to winning and getting to the latter stages of tournaments."

"Morgan and Angel were part of that [U17] World Cup team that won in 2017. They've done the Euros as well," Carsley added. "Angel is different to what we would've seen in the past in terms of the central midfielder who is more physical and robust. He's very technical, controls the game with his skill and technique, he's very determined and has an excellent attitude. He's a player who people are going to really be excited to see."

England's Nations League fixtures provide Carsley with an opportunity to further establish his own identity as manager and to assess the potential of the new generation of English talent. The inclusion of four uncapped players adds an element of unpredictability and excitement to the squad, and fans will be eager to see how these new faces perform on the international stage.