West Ham United’s versatile Michail Antonio was the surprise inclusion when new England manager Sam Allardyce named his first squad last night, for the World Cup qualifier away to Slovakia on Sunday.
Londoner Antonio, 26, was in non-league football until the age of 18, when he joined Reading. He moved to West Ham from Nottingham Forest a year ago and has featured in a number of different positions.
Starting as a wing-back in yesterday’s game against Manchester City, he was pushed further forward in the second half and scored with a header in his team’s 3-1 defeat.
He said this year that he had turned down the opportunity to play for Jamaica in the hope of attracting England’s attention.
“I think he’s in outstanding form,” Allardyce told the Football Association website.
“This is another lad with a great journey, from non-league to now an international call-up. He scored nine goals in his first season and he’s a terrific athlete, a good crosser and a goal-scorer.”
Man. City goalkeeper Joe Hart, left out of the West Ham match again, was included in the squad although Allardyce has expressed concern about his lack of match practice.
He is expected to leave the club, possibly on loan, before Wednesday’s transfer deadline.
Man. United’s Luke Shaw, Everton’s Phil Jagielka, Leicester’s Danny Drinkwater and Arsenal’s Theo Walcott returned after missing Euro 2016, where defeat by Iceland in the last 16 cost Roy Hodgson his job.
He was succeeded last month by Allardyce, who has left out midfielders Ross Barkley, of Everton, and Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere.
Manchester United’s young striker Marcus Rashford, who scored within 138 seconds of his England debut in May and went to the Euros, has been picked for the Under-21 squad.
Allardyce had raised the possibility of bringing back former captain John Terry, who retired from international football four years ago, but did not do so.
No announcement has yet been made about whether record goalscorer Wayne Rooney – listed in the squad as a midfielder – will retain the captaincy.
Allardyce is expected to elaborate on that when he addresses a news conference this morning.
England Squad
Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton), Joe Hart (Man. City), Tom Heaton (Burnley).
Defenders: Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham), Michail Antonio (West Ham), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Danny Drinkwater (Leicester ), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Theo Walcott (Arsenal).
Strikers: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City).