Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho have been left out of the England team, but Marc Guehi has been given his first call-up

Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho of Manchester United have been left out of the England squad, but Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi has been called up for the first time.

As part of their preparations for the 2022 World Cup, England will play Switzerland on March 26 and Ivory Coast at Wembley on March 29.

Manchester City's Kyle Walker has been left out of the squad, with Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold and Chelsea's Reece James preferred. But Gareth Southgate says Walker will return in June.

Crystal Palace stars make the squad

Southgate claims Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were pushed out of his team because of the form of others. Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, and Jack Grealish have been favoured in the offensive wide areas.

Marcus Rashford, who was named to the squad in November, has been omitted after scoring just twice since then. He has been primarily used as a substitute by interim United manager Ralf Rangnick since the turn of the year.

Southgate said:

"It's a difficult time for (Marcus Rashford). He is clearly not at his best. There's plenty of time, we know a lot about Marcus anyway and hopefully he can rediscover some of his form."

Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur - Premier League

Meanwhile, after receiving increased playing time for United in recent weeks, Sancho is once again left out.

Southgate explained Sancho's absence by saying:

"There are other attacking players in our squad who are ahead of him in our opinion."

Guehi, who joined Palace from Chelsea in the summer, has made an impression in his first Premier League season under Patrick Vieira. He has been promoted from the U21s.

The England manager commented on Guehi's inclusion by saying:

"With Marc, he's had a really consistent season. I've been very impressed with him on and off the ball. In the biggest games, he's been very calm."

The England manager added:

"We know a lot about him through our development teams. There are some centre halves who are pushing and very close but we have chosen Marc and Ben White."

New Blood for England

Nick Pope, Guehi, James Ward-Prowse, Conor Gallagher, Smith Rowe, and Abraham are the only players in the 25-man squad who did not play in the Euros.

Also, the likes of Michael Olise have caught Southgate's eye. Other squad members Aaron Ramsdale and Ben White are sure to be in contention for a starting spot in the upcoming friendlies, and potentially the World Cup in Qatar.