England manager Gareth Southgate has called-up in-form West Ham attacker Jarrod Bowen for the June Nations League fixtures.
Bowen, 25, has enjoyed a superb season for the Premier League side, with 18 goals and 13 assists in all competitions, and only a foot injury prevented him from receiving his maiden senior call-up in March.
England face four Nations League matches between June 4-14, with trips to Hungary and Germany followed by matches at Wolves' Molineux ground against Italy and Hungary.
Southgate said of Bowen’s inclusion: “Constantly strong performances. We were certainly thinking about involving him in March before he got injured.
“He’s a goal threat and his direct journey is an interesting reminder that you don’t have to be at an elite academy – experience is a great route to go.
“He works incredibly hard for the team, which we want all our players to do. He thoroughly deserves his call-up.”
Leicester City defender James Justin has also made the 27-man squad in what is more of a surprising inclusion. The 24-year-old has made 19 appearances in all competitions since recovering from an anterior cruciate injury sustained in February 2021.
“He’s a player that we’ve followed for a long time and he obviously had a very serious injury and has now, we feel, played the number of matches and been able to play more regularly,” Southgate said.
England 3 Ivory Coast 0: player ratings
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ENGLAND RATINGS: Nick Pope: 6 - The England shot stopper didn’t have to make a single save during the match and was rarely on the ball, as the rest of the team were so far up the pitch. AFP -
Tyrick Mitchell: 6 - The youngster started on the left of the back four, often bursting forward but rarely being found with a pass forward. This was best seen when he ran beyond Grealish but the ball went backwards rather than in his direction. AFP -
Tyrone Mings: 7 - The Aston Villa defender had little to do at the back and was comfortable on the ball going forward. He also added to England’s goal tally late on, scoring a free header from a corner. Action Images -
Harry Maguire: 6 - The 29-year-old was comfortable on the ball and did the basics well at the back. Action Images -
Ben White: 6 - The defender had to fill in at right-back for the first-half, making a fine interception on Gradel down the flank. He was tidy in possession but did little going forward before being substituted. AP -
James Ward-Prowse: 5 - The Southampton captain struggled to add his usual quality to the game. His set-pieces were poor, overhitting most of them towards the goalkeeper. AFP -
Declan Rice: 6 - The midfielder had little to do, but he had one bright chance when he joined the attack, cutting in on his right before blasting his shot over. PA -
Jude Bellingham: 7 - The 18-year-old played in an advanced midfield role, finding space between the opposition lines. A highlight of his play was a clever one-two with Sterling, with his resulting shot hitting the post. AFP -
Jack Grealish: 8 - The winger did well when carrying the ball into the box, bursting in on the left to pull the ball back to Sterling for the second goal. PA -
Ollie Watkins: 6 - The 26-year-old caused few issues for the opposition defence. He did get on the score sheet though, tapping into an empty net from close-range. AFP -
Raheem Sterling: 9 - England captain on the night, the winger consistently caused problems for the Ivory Coast defence. A solo effort saw him pick up the ball in the box and drive past Aurier, setting up a tap-in for Watkins. He then scored one for himself with a cut-back from Grealish. PA -
SUBS: Kyle Walker-Peters (For White 46’): 6 - The Southampton youngster came on at right-back but had little to do in the way of defending. He pushed forward with the rest of the team as they circulated possession in the second half. PA -
Luke Shaw (For Mitchell 62’): 6 - The left-back came on and showed some sparks of his quality running down the flank. He ran the line well on one occasion, whipping a ball across the face of goal that was cleared. Getty -
Harry Kane (For Watkins 62’): 5 - The captain had few chances, often swarmed by players and losing the ball. This was most evident in one phase where he had four players closing him outside the box. PA -
Phil Foden (For Grealish 62’): 6 - The 21-year-old came on and played on the right, but was defended very well by Konan. As a result, a lot of the play went down their left instead, meaning he saw little of the ball. Action Images -
Emile Smith Rowe (For Sterling 62’): 7 - The Arsenal playmaker caused a few problems on the left when he came on, beating his opposition full-back on one occasion and leaving them on the ground with his neat piece of skill. Getty -
Conor Gallagher (For Ward-Prowse 80’): N/R - The 22-year-old came on as fresh legs late in the game, pressing hard as the game drifted to its conclusion. Getty -
IVORY COAST RATINGS: Badra Ali Sangare: 7 - Despite his side’s troubles, the goalkeepers pulled off some saves that stopped the scoreline being worse. His best was to deny Bellingham from close range, pushing the ball on to the post. Reuters -
Hassane Kamara: 4 - The Watford full-back was constantly challenged defensively, especially in the first-half by Sterling. He was beaten far too easily by the England winger, who on one occasion flicked the ball over his head to get a shot off. EPA -
Eric Bailly: 6 - The Manchester United defender did a fine job of dealing with Watkins’ runs on the shoulder, making one challenge to stop him going through on goal. He was then substituted in the second half. Reuters -
Simon Deli: 6 - The centre-back also dealt with the lone England striker well, helping cover the space behind. He had a chance to score from a free-kick, but blasted his free shot over the bar. EPA -
Serge Aurier: 2 - The former Tottenham full-back had an awful outing at Wembley, beaten far too easily by Sterling on the wing for the opener. He then received a second yellow card in the first-half, reducing his side to ten men. Getty -
Jean Michael Seri: 4 - The Fulham midfielder consistently struggled to deal with threats behind his lines. He was booked for a poor challenge on Sterling and consistently gave the ball away, such as his simple back pass that went out for an England corner. Getty -
Franck Kessie: 6 - The AC Milan midfielder acted as a leader at times during a difficult evening for his nation. He made a few crunching challenges, such as one on Rice that was necessary to the defence regaining shape again. Getty -
Maxwel Cornet: 5 - The Burnley wideman was another that struggled on the ball, giving it away on multiple occasions. One time saw him pass the ball back under little pressure and giving away a corner. AP -
Max Gradel: 6 - The 34-year-old was fine in possession but had little to do before he was substituted off at half-time. Reuters -
Sebastien Haller: 5 - The Ajax striker had few touches of the ball, rarely getting any chances to receivel. His brightest opportunity came from dropping deeper before he was fouled. PA -
Nicolas Pepe: 5 - The Arsenal winger did little as his side struggled to progress forward. The one chance he had, he miscontrolled the ball out of play and gave away a goal kick. Getty -
SUBS: Willy Boly (For Pepe 46’): 7 - The Wolves defender had a fine game from the bench, adding stability to the backline. He tracked Kane well when he came on, dispossessing him outside the box on one occasion. AP -
Emmanuel Agbadou (For Bailly 46’): 6 - The centre-back equally came on to add stability, helping with a reduction in chances for the hosts. EPA -
Fousseny Coulibaly (For Gradel 46’): 5 - The 32-year-old had a shaky game from the bench, giving away a penalty for a rash challenge before it was overturned. PA -
Ghislain Konan (For Cornet 64’): 6 - The left-back came on to help refresh the side, defending the flank well and forcing the play through England’s left instead. AFP -
Paul Akouokou (For Seri 90’): N/R - The Real Betis midfielder came on late in the game. AP
“He’s comfortable playing left or right-back and very comfortable with the ball, a super athlete, a very good person, so we’re really looking forward to working with him more closely.”
Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Kalvin Phillips and Fikayo Tomori were all back in the squad, but there was no recall for in-form Leicester playmaker James Maddison.
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson, Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings and Arsenal youngster Emile Smith Rowe were absent from the squad.
Southgate explained why he decided to include Trent Alexander-Arnold and not Liverpool teammate Henderson ahead of the Merseyside club's Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday.
Southgate said: “We’ve learnt over the last three or four years, where we’ve had players in that [final] match, the emotional fallout, win or lose, from that game is enormous.
“So you’re not too sure what’s going to come through the door and it’s very difficult to get yourself up after that, so I spoke with the two lads about what they felt was best for them.
England 2 Switzerland 1: player ratings
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ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford 8 - Produced at least four good saves to keep England in the game in the first half; the pick of the bunch a reflex save that tipped the ball onto the cross bar from Silvan Widmer’s 10 yard shot. One of the Everton stopper’s most accomplished performances in an England shirt. PA -
Ben White 5 - The Arsenal defender was thrust into the starting line-up at the last minute after John Stones picked up an injury in the warm up. Got caught ball watching when he lost Embolo for Switzerland’s opener. Distribution wasn’t great along with the rest of the England back four. Looked a bit more comfortable at right-back in the second half. AFP -
Conor Coady 6 - Along with his fellow defenders, he didn’t move the ball quickly enough in the first half which contributed to England’s lack of fluidity in possession. Produced a good save from Omlin with a header in injury time. AFP -
Marc Guehi 6 - A solid debut for the Crystal Palace defender. Took time to adjust to a lively Switzerland attack but settled into the game and looked more comfortable in a back four. AFP -
Kyle Walker-Peters 6 - The 24-year-old debutant smashed the post after a lovely piece of play involving Mount and Foden, but the latter was offside in the build-up and it wouldn’t have counted. AFP -
Jordan Henderson 6 - Failed to get a grip of the midfield in a first half that Switzerland dominated. Better second 45 from the Liverpool captain, more like him in terms of his energy and drive. Action Images -
Conor Gallagher 7 - Almost curled one into the far corner early in the game when he checked back onto his left foot after some neat link up play from Foden, but Widmer headed over. Lovely lofted pass for Kane early in the second half to put the England skipper in on goal. Always positive and lively. One of the few England players with pass marks in the first half. AFP -
Luke Shaw 6 - Failed to get close enough to stop Shaqiri’s cross for the goal, but made amends when he arrived at pace to fire a crisp, powerful strike for his second goal in three games, which was more than England deserved in a first half dominated by the Swiss. Getty -
Phil Foden 5 - The Manchester City midfielder struggled to influence the game. Always a willing runner, and pressed well out of possession, but lacked the quality and end product on the night. AFP -
Mason Mount 5 - Failed to make any impact. A couple of through balls almost found their target, but the Switzerland midfield swarmed around any time it looked like he had space. AFP -
Harry Kane 6 - Held onto the ball far too long in the first half and made poor decisions in possession. Denied by the face of Omlin after being put in on goal from a lovely lofted pass from Gallagher. Scored his 49th goal from the penalty spot, smashing his spot kick low to Omlin’s right in the 78th minute with England benefiting from a handball by Zuber. AFP -
SUBS: Declan Rice 6 – (Gallagher 61’) Immediately showed his class. His reading of the game and ability to snuff out attacks allowed England to play more on the front foot. Getty -
Tyrick Mitchell 5 – (Shaw 62’). The Crystal Palace full-back put in an inviting cross for Kane midway through the second half and the striker should’ve done better. Tended to dive in when faced up in one-v-one situations. Reuters -
Raheem Sterling 5 – (Walker-Peters 62’). Looked lively in the final third without really creating anything clear cut. AFP -
Jack Grealish 5 – (Mount 62’). Tried to inject some energy into a lacklustre England performance. Reuters -
Jude Bellingham N/A – (Foden 79’). AP -
Ollie Watkins - N/A (Kane 89’) Getty -
SWITZERLAND RATINGS: Jonas Omlin 7 - No chance with Shaw’s strike and didn’t have too much to do up until then. Had a busier second 45. Rushed from his goal to deny Kane with his face 7 minutes after half-time and made a solid stop from Coady’s header later on. AFP -
Silvan Widmer 7 - Excellent recovery to deny Conor Gallagher wen the big defender headed over just as it looked like Gallagher’s curling effort was looping over Omlin into the far corner. Unfortunately had to be substituted after 37 minutes after taking a kick on his achilles from Foden earlier in the half. PA -
Manuel Akanji 7 - The Borussia Dortmund defender dealt confidently with everything in the air and looked comfortable in possession. Didn’t give Kane much joy all night. AFP -
Fabian Frei 7 - Smashed a half volley which Pickford reacted well and touched onto the bar to deny Switzerland doubling their lead three minutes after Switzerland’s opener. Good use of the ball, by breaking lines and stepping in to start attacks, however a poor clearance intercepted by Walker-Peters lead to England's equaliser in first half injury time. AFP -
Ricardo Rodriguez 7 - Banged in a shot from the edge of the area in the first half that Pickford parried away and was always a threat in possession as he probed and tested the England back line. Getty -
Remo Freuler 7 - Good energy and use of the ball in the Swiss midfield from the Atalanta midfielder. Didn’t give the England midfield any time in possession and always looked to play forward. AFP -
Granit Xhaka 8 - Tested Pickford from range with a low left foot daisy cutter after 20 minutes which the England keeper stopped with a strong wrist. Always looked quality in possession, dictating the tempo when he had the ball. Was the best player on the park in the first half. EPA -
Renato Steffen 6 - Looked to get in behind Luke Shaw and caused England concern in the first half. Linked well with Shaqiri. Action Images -
Xherdan Shaqiri 8 - Produced a sublime cross for Switzerland’s opening goal when he curled a pinpoint delivery onto the head of Embolo who guided a header past Pickford into the far corner. Almost scored cheekily directly from a corner, the former Liverpool fans’ favourite looked like he enjoyed himself playing against his old skipper, Henderson, and he showed his quality all night. EPA -
Ruben Vargas 7 - The young Augsberg winger wasn't afraid to be direct and got his side into good positions in the England half. Worked hard off the ball and stifled Walker-Peter’s attacking threat. AFP -
Breel Embolo 8 - Peeled off Ben White and directed his header back across Pickford for Switzerland’s well worked opener in the 22 minute. Held the ball up well and allowed his side to play in the attacking third. Always a problem for the England defence. AFP -
SUBS: Kevin Mbabu 7 – (Widmer 37’) Seamlessly settled in to the pace of the game. Defended well and surged forward at every opportunity, producing dangerous crosses in the second half. AFP -
Andi Zeqiri 7 – (Steffen 62’) A lively addition to the Swiss attack. AP -
Steven Zuber 6 – (Freuler 63’) Worked hard attempting to turn the tide when England started to get the upper hand. EPA -
Djibril Sow 6 – (Vargas 63’) Kept possession well under pressure and and looked to drive with the ball when space opened up. Getty -
Mario Gavranovic N/A - (Embolo 80’). EPA -
Michel Aebischer N/A - (Shaqiri 80’). AFP
“They’re in different positions because Jordan’s age, the number of caps he’s got, is totally different to Trent of course and we’ve got good players in all those [midfield] areas of the pitch. We’ve got cover.
“But we felt that with Hendo, we didn’t need to see him this summer and with Trent, slightly different. We’d like him to be with us from the start of the camp.
“We gave him the option of reporting a bit later so he got a longer break after the final, but he felt more comfortable to keep going and finish a bit earlier.”
AC Milan’s former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori and Roma striker Tammy Abraham have both been rewarded for impressive seasons in Serie A by being recalled to the squad.
Tomori has just won the Serie A title with Milan, while Abraham – who has scored 27 goals in all competitions this season – is due to play in Wednesday's Europa Conference League final against Feyenoord.
Southgate said: “Firstly, huge credit to both the boys for going and adapting to living abroad, playing in a different style of football, endeavouring to learn another language and fit in culturally with the group. That deserves huge credit.
“Fikayo will come in with the confidence of just winning a league title and playing in front of 70,000 fans every week – that is a similar pressure to playing for England.”
