Five England players who deserved a call-up to Southgate's latest squad

Gareth Southgate has named his latest England squad for the matches against Ukraine and Scotland in September.

Harry Maguire, Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson have all been recalled, while Levi Colwill and Eddie Nketiah will both have the opportunity to earn their first senior Three Lions caps.

But several players have missed out on a call-up despite enjoying excellent starts to their domestic campaigns.

We take a look at five Englishmen who could have been included in the latest squad.

Raheem Sterling (Chelsea)

Raheem Sterling has rediscovered his best form under Mauricio Pochettino and helped Chelsea earn their first win of the season against Luton last Friday with a well-taken brace.

The 82-cap international's tally of two goals in 2023-24 so far is a quarter of the total that he managed last term.

Southgate's snub will likely come as a shock to the 28-year-old, who has been an England regular for several years.

Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)

After scoring the winning goal in West Ham's Europa Conference League final triumph over Fiorentina in June, it looked inevitable that Jarrod Bowen would return to the England squad for the first time in 12 months.

The 26-year-old's four caps all came in last year's Nations League but he will have to wait a bit longer for his next opportunity to shine for the Three Lions.

David Moyes' Hammers have enjoyed a positive start to the campaign and Bowen has already made three goal contributions in as many games, leaving many pondering his absence ahead of the international break.

James Ward-Prowse (West Ham)

Bowen's team-mate James Ward-Prowse is also a surprising absentee considering his electric start to life in East London.

The 11-cap international was unable to escape relegation with boyhood club Southampton last season but has been fit and firing for the Hammers in the opening weeks of this campaign.

His two assists and a goal have helped shoot West Ham to second in the Premier League table but the likes of Phillips and Henderson have been preferred by Southgate this time.

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

Aston Villa have continued their fine form under Unai Emery thanks largely to the efforts of Ollie Watkins in attack.

The 27-year-old has provided two assists in the Premier League already this season and bagged a hat-trick in Villa's 5-0 win over Hibernian in last week's Europa Conference League play-off first leg.

His last England cap came in March 2022 when he scored against the Ivory Coast in a friendly.

Solly March (Brighton)

Brighton's Solly March was asked a few weeks ago what else he had to do to get into the England squad and he simply laughed it off.

But the 29-year-old will undoubtedly be feeling put out by his exclusion after his impeccable start to the season.

The uncapped winger has bagged three goals in as many games for the Seagulls, including a brace against Wolves, but has not met the standards Southgate requires for selection.