Toney earns first England call-up as Henderson and Dier return

Ivan Toney has earned his first England call-up with Dean Henderson and Eric Dier recalled by Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions' upcoming Nations League games.

Toney has been rewarded after excellent form for Brentford this season which has seen the striker score five times in his first six Premier League outings.

Southgate said: "With Ivan Toney, we have been tracking him for a long time. I had a good chat with Thomas Frank about him last season. 

"His form and his qualities — not only his goalscoring but his technical ability, build-up play and aerial prowess — gives us a different threat to some of the other players we could pick."

Tottenham defender Dier returns to the Three Lions squad for the first time in nearly 18 months, while Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw made the cut despite losing their first-team places under Erik ten Hag in recent weeks.

Jordan Pickford's injury has opened the door for Henderson to return and stake his place for a spot at the World Cup.

Ben Chilwell provides another option at left-back, with the Chelsea man recovering from a long-term injury suffered last season but team-mate Conor Gallagher has been axed in a blow to his Qatar hopes.

Southgate was thought to be considering bringing Marcus Rashford back into the fold after his upturn in form but the forward misses out with a muscle injury.

Rashford's Red Devils team-mate Jadon Sancho has also not done enough for a recall as West Ham's Jarrod Bowen holds on to his place.

The Three Lions boss added: "This is a bigger than normal squad and part of the rationale is that we are very close to a World Cup and we feel, although our results were disappointing in the summer, we have picked on the basis of form and capability over a long period. 

"There were certain players we wanted to keep involved this time, but that said it doesn’t mean that this is the end for some of the others who aren’t involved. 

"Marcus Rashford, for example, has shown some encouraging signs recently. He is a player we know well so if he can perform at a high level in the next few weeks, he of course will be under consideration.

"Clearly, we have a number of players including Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips who are not playing a lot of minutes with their club. 

"It is not ideal, but we feel they have been, and can be, important players for us. It is not a perfect situation but there is still a lot of football to be played before Qatar.

“With Eric Dier, he has been playing well for a period of time. We think it is a really close call across our centre-backs and he has deserved to be picked back in the group. 

"We know what a good character he is. He fits in with the culture and has great international experience and leadership qualities."

Selected stars will be desperate to impress the England boss, with it being the final camp before the World Cup.

They travel to face their Euro 2020 final opponents Italy at the San Siro on September 23 before hosting Germany at Wembley on September 26.

The Three Lions currently sit bottom of Nations League Group A3 after a disastrous campaign which has seen them pick up only two points.

Toney gets his chance

Rashford’s injury meant there was space for a striker in Southgate’s squad and Toney has taken it with both hands.

It is another step in a remarkable journey up the football ladder for the Bees man, who was playing in League One just three years ago.

The ex-Peterborough marksman has been one of the Premier League’s standout players so far this season, claiming five goals and two assists in six outings.

Toney netted a superb hat-trick in Brentford’s last game, a 5-2 home win over Leeds, which led to increased calls for the striker to get his first Three Lions call-up.

It follows an impressive first full top-flight campaign where he scored 12 goals for Thomas Frank's outfit.

If he claims his first cap later this month, he will become just the third Brentford player ever to do so and the first since 1939.

England squad in full

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Everton), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)

Forwards: Tammy Abraham (Roma), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Ivan Toney (Brentford)