Aidy Boothroyd has named a 23-player squad for England Under-21s’ two fixtures this month, including their visit to Stadium MK.
The Young Lions will first travel to Maribor where they will face Slovenia at the Ljudski vrt stadium on Friday 11 October (6pm CEST KO) in an international.
They will then continue their 2021 UEFA European U21 qualifying campaign against Austria at Stadium MK on Tuesday 15 October (7.45pm KO).
There are first Under-21 call ups for Tottenham Hotspur’s Brandon Austin and Chelsea’s Reece James, while his club teammate Callum Hudson-Odoi and Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly return to the squad following injury.
Last month, England got their EURO 2021 qualifying campaign off to the perfect start with a 3-2 victory away against Turkey and a 2-0 win over Kosovo in Hull. They will also face Albania and Andorra in qualifying Group 3.
Boothroyd said: “After two good results in difficult and high-pressure games last month, we’ve kept the squad pretty consistent as they performed well.
“We have a few players back from injury in Callum Hudson-Odoi, Reece James and Lloyd Kelly and we’re looking forward to getting back together again and we are building a strong core of players early in the campaign.
“The squad also has more playing minutes at club level than they might normally do at this stage of the season, which is great for us ahead of these matches.
“It will be a tough game in Slovenia, we are expecting a low block that will be a good test for our players against a different type of opponent. As they’re one of the hosts of the Euros, it’s a great chance for us to experience playing there, as we work hard to qualify for the tournament.
“Austria sit on top of the qualifying group, alongside us, they’re a good, well-organised team and an emerging nation so hopefully it will be an entertaining and competitive game for our supporters watching in Milton Keynes. The group is shaping up to have three or four teams pushing to qualify so we have to do everything properly and professionally and be at our best each game, but it will also be invaluable to the players’ development.
Tickets for England v Austria are on sale priced £1 for children and £15 for adults.
To book tickets click HERE, visit the Box Office at Stadium MK or call 0333 200 5343.
FULL SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Brandon Austin (Tottenham Hotspur), Ellery Balcombe (Viborg FF, on loan from Brentford), Aaron Ramsdale (AFC Bournemouth)
Defenders: Max Aarons (Norwich City), Trevoh Chalobah (Huddersfield Town, on loan from Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Chelsea), Reece James (Chelsea), James Justin (Leicester City), Lloyd Kelly (AFC Bournemouth), Jonathan Panzo (Cercle Brugge, on loan from AS Monaco), Steven Sessegnon (Fulham)
Midfielders: Todd Cantwell (Norwich City), Tom Davies (Everton), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Dwight McNeil (Burnley), Oliver Skipp (Tottenham Hotspur), Joe Willock (Arsenal)
Forwards: Rhian Brewster (Liverpool), Mason Greenwood (Manchester United), Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea), Reiss Nelson (Arsenal), Eddie Nketiah (Leeds United, on loan from Arsenal)
