Tomori, Watkins and Ramsdale back in England squad for World Cup qualifiers

The Three Lions sit top of Group I ahead of games against Andorra and Hungary

England's Ollie Watkins celebrates, centre, after scoring on his international debut against San Marino in March. Reuters

Fikayo Tomori, Ollie Watkins and Aaron Ramsdale returned to the England squad as Harry Maguire and Trent Alexander-Arnold miss the World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Hungary through injury.

The Three Lions sit top of Group I - after securing 16 points from six games - heading into the penultimate international camp of the year with manager Gareth Southgate naming a 23-man selection for the double-header.

AC Milan defender Tomori has been included in the squad nearly two years on from winning his first and only cap in Kosovo — the Three Lions’ final match before the pandemic led football to shut down.

Watkins returns for the first time since being cut from the provisional Euro 2020 squad, with uncapped Ramsdale back having been brought into the squad that reached the final following an injury to Dean Henderson.

Maguire and Alexander-Arnold dropped out of the group for next month’s internationals through injury while Patrick Bamford, Nick Pope and Jude Bellingham also missed out.

Phil Foden returned after missing the September triple-header through a foot complaint, but Mason Greenwood was again conspicuous by his absence.

Southgate said he had been impressed with how Tomori had adapted to life in Italy. “I thought he finished last season well,” he said. “He’s playing at a club where there’s an expectation to win every week so he’s performing under pressure.

“I like Fikayo in terms of his aggressiveness as a defender. Because he’s got speed he’s confident enough to defend on the front foot and his use of the ball is improving all the time.”

Ramsdale is another player to have taken a step up at club level following his move to Arsenal this summer.

“Aaron was with us all summer and we had the opportunity to work with him for a long time and get to understand his strengths,” Southgate said.

“Nick [Pope] is still I think coming back from injury a little bit but I think Aaron is just in a better vein of form at the moment.

Poland 1 England 1: player ratings

POLAND RATINGS: Wojciech Szczesny: 5 - The former Arsenal goalkeeper had little to do but could have done better to deny Kane’s strike. EPA

Pawel Dawidowicz: 6 - The centre-back had a quiet game and was rarely challenged by the England forwards. EPA

Kamil Glik: 7 - The experienced 33-year-old had a bruising encounter, getting involved in a scrappy affair at times and making life tough for the opposition attackers, but not leaving without a few bruises himself. EPA

Jan Bednarek: 7 - Bednarek put in a secure display, winning the majority of his duels and playing accurate passes from the back. EPA

Tymoteusz Puchacz: 6 - The wing-back looked good defensively and often ventured forward when he was able to on the left. Reuters

Kamil Jozwiak: 6 - The Derby County winger put in a good defensive performance for his nation, keeping an eye on both Grealish and Shaw on his side. He wasn’t able to offer much going forward, often opting for a safer pass. Reuters

Karol Linetty: 5 - Linetty struggled on his side, losing a lot of his duels when called upon in midfield. PA

Grzegorz Krychowiak: 7 - The midfielder put in a dominating performance for Poland both on and off the ball with his great passing range and ability to win the ball back. PA

Jakub Moder: 7 - The Brighton midfielder was busy throughout. AP Photo

Adam Buksa: 5 - Buksa struggled to get himself into the game, rarely getting a touch and losing most of the challenges he was involved in. Getty

Robert Lewandowski: 8 - The Bayern Munich striker put in an impressive all-round performance for his side, making the ball stick when needed and picking up pockets of space. He was swamped out in the second half but put a great ball in to grab an assist in the dying moments. AP Photo

SUBS: Karol Swiderski (For Buksa 63’): 5 - The substitute offered little from the bench, only getting a couple touches on the pitch to help support Lewandowski. Getty Images

SUB: Damian Szymanski (For Krychowiak 68’): 8 - The midfielder made his chance count off the bench, scoring a header in the last minute for his first goal in a Poland shirt. AP Photo

SUB: Michal Helik (For Glik 80’): N/A - The Barnsley defender came on for the injured Glik and had little to deal with once he entered the fray. EPA

SUB: Przemyslaw Frankowski (For Jozwiak 80’): N/A - The forward had little impact on the game from the bench in the short time he came on as his side looked for a way back into it. Getty Images

Maciej Rybus (For Puchacz 80’): N/A - The wing-back had little time to impact the game, rarely getting on the ball. Getty

ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford: 6 - England’s No 1 had a decent showing, making a couple of saves when he needed to and couldn’t do much to deny the equaliser. Getty Images

Luke Shaw: 7 - Shaw offered much needed width for the Three Lions, often venturing forward on the left whilst still upholding his defensive duties. Getty Images

Harry Maguire: 6 - The Manchester United captain did the basics well at the back and was pivotal in England bringing the ball out from defence. AFP

John Stones: 6 - Stones struggled at times, losing the majority of his duels but passed out from the back well and wasn’t at fault for many key moments at the back. EPA

Kyle Walker: 6 - The full-back was involved a lot on the right flank for England, driving up the pitch when he received the ball. He looked secure when asked to defend for his side until the closing minutes when he got beat in the build up to the equaliser. Getty Images

Declan Rice: 7 - Rice was important in the build up with the ball, completing the most passes on the pitch. Getty Images

Kalvin Phillips: 5 - The midfielder struggled during the game, picking up an early yellow card that hampered him when defending and misplacing passes when he was on the ball. EPA

Jack Grealish: 5 - The new Manchester City man struggled to get himself into dangerous positions, often losing the ball or passing it backwards rather than driving into the box. Getty Images

Mason Mount: 6 - Mount had a good showing, knitting together the play well in midfield for England. Getty Images

Raheem Sterling: 6 - Sterling looked a threat at times but wasn’t able to find a golden opportunity to score when getting into the danger area. EPA

Harry Kane: 7 - The England captain got involved, dropping deep but found little success in doing so at times. However, his incredible strike from 30-yards beat the goalkeeper to give Southgate’s men the lead. Getty Images

“From Aaron’s perspective, the move to a bigger club with higher expectations and a style of play where he is asked to build with his feet from the back, he’s coping really well.

“I think that’s an important factor us when looking at the biggest matches, having a goalkeeper who has really adapted well to a move and is full of confidence.”

Bellingham and Greenwood are both absent despite strong recent performances at club level, with Southgate saying the workloads of the teenagers must be carefully managed.

“They don’t come as a pair but they’re both in similar situations, they are young players with heavy workloads at the moment,” he said. “I’ve spoken to both of them. Jude at the moment is playing a high level of matches with Champions League games, league games.

“As an 18-year-old he had a full season last season and then into the Euros with no break. We have to remember these lads are still physically growing so when we talk about young player development we have to be really careful in how we handle them.

“These are two players we think can be really exciting for England’s future. We don’t want to overload them, we want to make sure we are making the right decisions with them.”

England travel to Andorra on Saturday, October 9 and host Hungary on Tuesday, October 12.

FULL SQUAD: Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone, Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale.

Defenders: Conor Coady, Reece James, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Fikayo Tomori, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker.

Midfielders: Phil Foden, Jordan Henderson, Jesse Lingard, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice.

Forwards: Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Ollie Watkins.