England squad CONFIRMED: Harry Maguire and Nathaniel Chalobah handed first call-ups for matches against Malta and Slovakia
Leicester City's Harry Maguire and Watford's Nathaniel Chalobah have been handed their first international call-ups for England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovakia.
The pair, who moved to their respective clubs from Hull and Chelsea over the summer, are the surprise inclusions in the first squad named by Gareth Southgate since Wayne Rooney's retirement; the Three Lions' record goalscorer announced his decision on Wednesday.
Uncapped Jordan Pickford also makes the squad, along with three other goalkeepers, Joe Hart, Jack Butland and Tom Heaton.
England currently sit top of Group F in the hunt for a place at next year's World Cup, two points clear of Slovakia after four wins from six games.
Southgate's squad clash with their closest rivals for qualification at Wembley on September 4, three days after facing Malta - bottom of the group with zero points - at the Ta' Qali National Stadium.
Harry Kane is a rumoured candidate to be named permanent England captain following Rooney's retirement, having worn the armband when the 31-year-old was unavailable.
However, Southgate refused to rush into a decision, saying: "It's important that we don't rush into something and put pressure on one individual."
The confirmed squad can be seen, in full, below:
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart, Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Tom Heaton
Defenders: Ryan Bertrand, Aaron Cresswell, Gary Cahill, Phil Jones, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Michael Keane, Chris Smalling, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Nathaniel Chalobah, Jake Livermore, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard
Forwards: Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck, Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge, Jermaine Defoe