Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone handed late England call ups
Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and Villa striker Ollie Watkins have received late call-ups to the England squad.
The pair will report to St George’s Park on Tuesday with the rest of Gareth Southgate’s squad as preparations begin for friendly matches against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.
Johnstone and Watkins were both omitted from the original 25-man group but have been drafted in as replacements for Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and Roma striker Tammy Abraham, after they pulled out through injury.
Southgate has also added Crystal Palace Tyrick Mitchell and Southampton's Kyle Walker-Peters to the group, after the withdrawals of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James.
The call-ups for Johnstone and Watkins come as timely morale boost to players who have experienced inconsistent seasons at club level.
Johnstone, who received his maiden senior call-up a year ago and was part of last summer’s Euro 2020 squad, has seen his previously impressive form dip as Albion’s promotion challenge has unravelled.
Watkins, meanwhile, has struggled to hit the heights of his first season in the Premier League with Villa, which saw him narrowly miss out on selection for the final Euros squad.
The 26-year-old, who bagged 14 Premier League goals last term, is again on course to finish as the club’s top scorer but has found the net on only seven occasions this time around, including only twice in his last 11 appearances dating back to December.
He had previously been left out of the Three Lions squad for the final round of World Cup qualifiers in November but now gets the chance to add to his haul of five caps.
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