Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere and forward Danny Welbeck have been named in England’s 27-man squad for upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy.
Here's our 2️⃣7️⃣-man squad for the #ThreeLions' games against the Netherlands and Italy.
Join us at @wembleystadium – tickets on sale now: https://t.co/hXIfok2kev pic.twitter.com/ZzqpepmfqA
— England (@England) March 15, 2018
England travel to the Johan Cruijff Arena in Ajax to face the Netherlands on Friday, March 23. The Three Lions host Italy at Wembley on Tuesday, March 27.
For Wilshere, it’s his first England call-up since the 2016 European Championships which saw Roy Hodgson’s men bow out to Iceland in the last-16. He’s made 34 caps for the national team, scoring only twice.
The 26-year-old has been in decent form for Arsenal this season – making 30 appearances in all competitions – and will provide some much-needed creativity to the squad.
Welbeck’s call-up is more of a surprise given the lack of playing time for Arsenal of late. The 27-year-old has made just one Premier League start since mid-January and is only featuring recently due to injury to Alexandre Lacazette.
He’s represented England on 36 occasions, scoring 15 times, last appearing in the World Cup 2018 qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia in January and April last year.
England head coach Gareth Southgate spoke about the difficulties in choosing his squad, revealing the good servants for the national team were picked due to a lack of quality.
