UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers: Three players who deserved a call-up to the England side

Gareth Southgate, on Thursday, announced the 25-man squad for the Three Lions upcoming Euro 2020 Qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo. The England manager had once again opted to go for youth in place of many of the impressive performers in the league.

Mason Mount, James Maddison, Tyrone Mings and Aaron Wan-Bissaka received a much-deserved call-up to the national side while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was called up for the first time since 2018.

Like every international call-up, there remains a bunch of players who deserved their name on the squad list but who were unluckily axed from the list due to varied reasons. Here let's take a look at three players who deserved to be on the list.

#3 Ashley Barnes

A clinical striker who needs no introduction, Ashley Barnes has been one of the most consistent performers for the Clarets in the past three seasons. The striker played a crucial role the season before when Burnley qualified for the Europa League qualifiers. He was one of the few bright spots for them last season, scoring 12 goals and making 2 assists, as Sean Dyche's men stayed clear of the relegation zone.

The 29-year-old from Bath had once again started the Premier League in top form with four goals from the opening three matches (a brace against Southampton followed by a goal each against Arsenal and Wolves). Barnes has now scored a goal in his last four Premier League including their final-day defeat against Arsenal last season.

Although there is a tendency for Southgate to call upon younger talents, the absence of an able backup to key striker Harry Kane poses a big problem for the Three Lions. Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho and the rest provide a very different approach to Southgate with all of them relying more on their pace rather than on the physical dominance and presence that the Spurs man provide.

It would have been interesting to see how Barnes played up top with a much more talented midfield than the one at Burnley.

#2. Jack Grealish

Jack Grealish was instrumental last season for Aston Villa as they produced one of the best runs in Championship history to gain promotion. He was the star man for the Villains as they returned to the Premier League after a 3-year hiatus.

The attacker has been one of the better performers in the Villa side and has played every minute of the new Premier League campaign. He has also scored twice and made an assist in his four appearances across all competition.

Birmingham-born Grealish now fill all the requirement the manager asked of him after having been snubbed last season on the sole reason of not playing in the Premier League. He has improved leaps and bounds since his last U21 appearance. The attacker displays a maturity level far beyond his age and relishes in the role of captain of his team at the age of 23.

The Aston Villa man could have easily come in place of an out-of-sorts Jesse Lingard who is at the moment far from his best.

#1.Kyle Walker

The most surprising exclusion from the list. Kyle Walker has been the first choice for the right-back position for a long time now. The Manchester City man's ability to fill in as central defender had been seen as an added advantage to his growing stature.

Gareth Southgate had stated the inclusion of more youth into the side as the reason for the omission of Walker. But the addition of Kieran Trippier, a player who is just 4 months younger than Walker, adds more question marks to the controversial decision.

On the other side, Kyle Walker can have a much-needed rest during the international break. At 29 years and in his prime years, Southgate is giving the wrong signal to a player who is considered to be one of the leading right-backs in the world.