Jesse Lingard, Luke Shaw and John Stones back in England squad for World Cup triple-header

Manager Southgate recalls trio after long absence from squad while Villa striker Watkins is chosen ahead of Leeds attacker Bamford

Jesse Lingard won the last of his 24 caps for England back in 2019. AFP

England have recalled on-loan West Ham United midfielder Jesse Lingard and also named Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins in their 26-man squad for this month's World Cup qualifying matches against San Marino, Albania and Poland.

Lingard, who has 24 caps but has not featured since 2019, has been one of West Ham's standout players since arriving from Manchester United on loan in January, with four goals and two assists in six matches.

Watkins was rewarded with his first senior call-up for an impressive campaign in which he has scored 10 goals in 27 Premier League matches for Villa.

Leeds striker Patrick Bamford had been widely tipped for a call-up but Southgate has turned to Watkins, who joined the Midlands club from second-tier Brentford in the summer.

West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has also been called-up for the first time, following an injury to Everton and England No 1 Jordan Pickford, after shining for the struggling Baggies who sit second bottom of the league.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is a surprise absence from a squad that also sees Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw and Manchester City centre-half John Stones return after long absences.

Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham has been called up despite concerns over his availability.

The teenager's inclusion is interesting given the Football Association had expected regional coronavirus travel restrictions in Germany to rule him out. Bellingham's Dortmund teammate Jadon Sancho misses out through injury.

Villa's Jack Grealish, James Maddison of Leicester and Chelsea's Tammy Abraham are not included due to injuries.

England have not played since since their last triple-header in November when they beat Republic of Ireland 3-0 in a friendly, then lost to Belgium 2-0 and thrashed Iceland 4-0 in the Nations League.

Southgate said there had been some "close calls" when selecting his squad, including the decision to call up Watkins instead of Bamford.

England 4 Iceland 0: player ratings

ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford, 5 – Paid tribute to Ray Clemence before kick-off when he placed behind his goal a yellow top with ‘Clemence 1’ on the back. Was untested throughout the game. EPA

Kieran Trippier, 4 -Probably the quietest of England’s players and saw very little of the ball. Defended well when he had to, but didn’t look comfortable in the wing-back role. Reuters

Kyle Walker, 6 – Was booked early on for an aggressive challenge on Sigurjonsson and gave away too many free-kicks. The Walker-Trippier axis on the right didn’t work. AP

Harry Maguire, 7 – Solid in the tackle, he displayed some expansive passing and even found himself getting forward throughout the game. AP

Eric Dier. 6 – England’s anchor. Had little to do in the first half but was alert to dangers in the second. Reuters

Bukayo Saka, 7 – Didn’t have much defending to do and so relished the chance to get into the final third. Always dangerous, and always finding penetrative positions around the opposition area. AP

Declan Rice, 7 – Solid performance at the base of the midfield and got forward to deftly head home Phil Foden’s free kick to open the scoring, and his account in an England shirt. Reuters

Mason Mount, 8 – A lively and energetic performance. He probed the Iceland defence and looked to get beyond Kane at every opportunity, and was rewarded with a well-taken finish. AP

Jack Grealish, 8 – A livewire performance once again, drawing fouls in the Iceland half and always looking for the probing pass when cutting in from the left. EPA

Harry Kane, 7 – Constantly involved linking the play, and despite being heavily marked was able to get shots away on goal; he came close with three efforts in the first half. EPA

Phil Foden, 9 – So comfortable and always looking to get the ball forward. He came close to scoring in the first half but made no mistake in the second, first converting Sancho’s pass and then threading the ball home from distance. EPA

SUBS: Tyrone Mings, 6 – Was often found playing in front of the midfield, such was the lack of attacking threat from the opposition. Tidy on the ball. Reuters

Harry Winks, 7 – Played well when he came on. Contributed to an increase in tempo and provided the assist for Foden’s second goal. Reuters

Jadon Sancho, N/A – Made an instant impact when he came on. Broke into the area from the left and chose not to shoot, and instead set up Foden to score. EPA

Tammy Abraham, N/A – Didn’t fashion any shooting opportunities but worked hard. Forced Iceland into a defensive clearance that lead to Foden’s second. AFP

Ainsley Maitland-Niles, N/A – Looked calm and composed. Didn’t really put a foot wrong and adds further cover to an ever-crowded right side. PA

"[Bamford was] very close," Southgate told Sky Sports. "There's a number of positions in this squad that have been really close calls and we felt we wanted an extra striker.

"We're really pleased with Harry [Kane] and [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin and what they've done. Tammy Abraham hasn't really been involved for Chelsea over the last four to six weeks.

"And both Ollie and Patrick in particular, their goals record has been good. We like the personalities of both. Ollie is a player we've had less interaction with in the past. It's going to be good to get to know him.

"We like his pressing, the speed and the runs in behind. He's got some improvement to make in linking the game, but in his first season in the Premier League at a big club, he's done exceptionally well.

"That's been a really close call because all the things I've said about Ollie I could have said for Patrick as well, so he's very unfortunate."

As for Lingard's recall, Southgate added: "We have injuries in attacking areas which have opened up an opportunity for Jesse. I have to say his performances for West Ham have been excellent. We know he can perform at the level."