5 Young English players who could get their first International call-up this week

It has been a successful year for England as far as International football is concerned. After years of what can only be described as abject failure, the Three Lions got the nation back on track with an impressive performance at the World Cup.

England reached the semi-finals at the World Cup in Russia, their most successful major tournament since the European Championships in 1996, and their best performance at a World Cup since 1990.

For many England fans, it was the first time they were able to believe that their team was good enough to challenge for major titles, and there was a real belief in England that football was coming home.

Obviously, football didn’t eventually come home, as England were beaten in the semi-finals by Croatia, who reached their first World Cup final. This was however seen as something for England to build on, as the squad was made up mainly of young players, who will only get better by the time the next European Championships come around in 2020.

There have been changes for England since the World Cup. Gary Cahill and Jamie Vardy have both made themselves unavailable for selection, signalling the end of their international careers.

There are some excellent young players available to Gareth Southgate ahead of selecting his squad for the upcoming fixtures with Spain and Switzerland, and there is a good chance they will be given the opportunity. Here are five young players who could be given their first international call-up.

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#1 Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham)

Sessegnon looks to have a massive future in the game

Sessegnon is one of the top young players in England, if not Europe, at this point in time. The 18-year-old scored 15 goals in the Championship last season, as Fulham returned to the Premier League via the play-offs.

He also cleaned up as far as individual awards are concerned, picking up the Championship Player, and Young Player of the season awards. In the process, he also became the first Championship player to be nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

He certainly has all the attributes to succeed at the International level, and given how well he did when he came into the Fulham side at just 16, he won’t be fazed by the extra pressure of playing for his country. Something Gareth Southgate mustn’t do is use Sessegnon as a full-back.

He may have initially come through as a left-back, but he has shown over the last 12 months that his future lies as a left-winger, and his ability to get himself into a position to score goals, means it would be a waste using him in a defensive role.

#2 Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)

Sancho has already represented England at youth level

England haven’t selected a player who was playing his club football outside of England since Joe Hart during his loan spell with Torino in the 2016/17 season. Last summer, Sancho took the gamble leaving Manchester City to join Borussia Dortmund in Germany.

Big things were expected of the winger when he joined Dortmund, and he was given the number seven shirt, which had most recently been worn by Ousmane Dembele.

He was made to wait his turn in Germany, but really started to make an impact in the back half of last season. He may just be something England don’t have at the moment, as at the World Cup, the only natural winger in the squad was Raheem Sterling.

Because of this, England seemed quite one-dimensional, and were at times too easy to defend against. Sancho could really give them another option.

#3 Phil Foden (Manchester City)

Pep Guardiola has high hopes for Foden

There has been an awful lot of fuss made about Foden over the last year or so, and the time might have finally come for him to justify the hype. The Manchester City youngster hasn’t appeared much in the Premier League, but Pep Guardiola is clearly a massive believer in the youngster, so we should expect to see him appear more in the City side over the coming months.

At times, England lacked quality in the center of the park at the World Cup, and Foden is a man who can provide that. He is a man with international pedigree, even at the age of 18. He captained England to the U-17 World Cup in 2017, and in the process was named as the Golden Ball winner for best player.

His lack of Premier League football may be a concern to Southgate, but his previous International record could be enough to earn him a spot in the squad.

#4 James Maddison (Leicester City)

Maddison has made a good start at Leicester

Maddison may still only be 21, but there wasn’t much talk regarding him until the last 18 months, when he has begun to show off his talents with Norwich City. This impressive form in the Championship was enough to earn him a move to Leicester City this summer, in a move worth £25 million.

At times, England lacked creativity at the World Cup in Russia, and this was perhaps part of their undoing in the semi-final with Croatia. Maddison is a player who likes to get himself into little pockets of space in behind the midfield where he can create chances for players around him, and that might be just what England need right now.

He may still be quite a raw talent, but there is the better part of two years to go until the European Championships in 2020, so there is a lot of time for Maddison left to get used to playing on the highest stage.

#5 Ben Chilwell (Leicester City)

Chilwell has established himself as Leicester's first choice left-back

Of all the players on the list, none have more Premier League experience than Chilwell. Over the last couple of years, he has been more of a rotation option for Leicester City, playing as a backup to Christian Fuchs.

This season however, he has been a mainstay in the Leicester starting XI. This looks likely to be the case for a number of years now, with Fuchs confirming that this will be his final season with Leicester.

At the World Cup in Russia, Ashley Young was England’s first choice left wing-back, and although he didn’t fare badly, he isn’t naturally a left-back, and he did at times look slightly out of place.

Chilwell is naturally a full-back, and has experience playing as a wing-back as well. He is still young, but has progressed well in recent years, so could offer some real balance to this England team, and he would do an excellent job.