Reece James, Mason Mount called up to England despite injuries

The international break is back, again, after this weekend, and Chelsea players will once again be involved, including for England — that is, if the recent injury problems for Reece James and Mason Mount allow them to recover in time to face Andorra and Hungary in World Cup qualifying matches.

While they’ve both missed time for Chelsea, according to England manager Gareth Southgate, there is a chance they will be fit enough to feature in our upcoming match against Southampton on Saturday, which would confirm their call-ups and give the green light for them to play.

“Our understanding is that Mason and Reece have a good chance for the weekend. We will track that.”

(Ed.note: While we’d prefer to not see them involved, this is probably good news in terms of their recoveries, unlike, say, Christian Pulisic, who was not called by the USA as he continues to struggle with his ankle problem.)

Alongside Mount and James, we also have a former Blue included in the 23-man squad. Fikayo Tomori has been playing very well for AC Milan, and Southgate is excited to see what the 23-year-old defender can bring to team.

“Very impressed with the way [Tomori] is playing for Milan, we were tracking him very closely at the end of last season. He played very well against Liverpool and Juventus.

“I like the aggressiveness of his defending. 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.”

-Gareth Southgate; source: Telegraph

The full 23-man squad selected for matches against Andorra and Hungary on October 9 and 12, respectively, is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS: Sam Johnstone (West Bromwich), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

DEFENDERS: Conor Coady (Wolverhampton), Reece James (Chelsea), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (Milan), Kieran Trippier (Atlético Madrid), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

MIDFIELDERS: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United), Declan Rice (West Ham)

FORWARDS: Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jadon Sancho (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)