Harwood-Bellis and Hall Receive Inaugural England Senior Squad Selections

England’s interim coach, Lee Carsley, has selected Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Newcastle United full-back Lewis Hall for their initial senior squad appearances in the upcoming Nations League matches. Both players have previously represented England’s U21 team. The national team is scheduled to compete against Greece on November 14 and the Republic of Ireland on November 17. This marks Carsley’s last squad selection as the temporary manager before Thomas Tuchel assumes the permanent managerial role in January 2025. Carsley stated, “He [Tuchel] hasn’t had any influence on the squad selection.” He added, “I congratulated him via text. He is highly respectful of the job I am doing. I see this as a massive privilege, the trust the FA has placed in me and my team.” Harwood-Bellis, aged 22, secured a permanent transfer to Southampton in July. This followed a successful season-long loan from Manchester City during the 2023-24 campaign, where he contributed to the Saints’ promotion. This season, he has played 13 matches for Russell Martin’s team, netting three goals. Hall, 20 years old, transferred to Newcastle from Chelsea in July for £28m, having spent the prior season on loan in the north east of England. The left-sided defender has participated in all 10 of Newcastle’s Premier League fixtures this season, starting seven of them. Carsley commented, “They’re both players who have played a lot of minutes this season and have shown they can consistently play in the Premier League at a high level.” He continued, “Players that I both know really well. I’ve known Taylor from Man City and captaining the Under-21s, having a successful summer with promotion and playing in the Premier League week in and week out, he’s a player that really deserves it.” Carsley further described Harwood-Bellis as “an outstanding captain and a brilliant example to the rest of the players in the under-21s squad.” Regarding Hall, he added, “Lewis is a player who’s taken his time to settle in – he’s high quality, left-footed and a player who deserves to be in and has shown he can be really consistent.” Liverpool’s midfielder, Curtis Jones, has been included in the squad after withdrawing from the October selection due to the birth of his child. The 23-year-old, who secured the European Under-21 Championship under Carsley’s management in 2023, has not yet played for the senior national team. Carsley remarked, “Curtis is an all-round player, who plays in various positions.” He further stated, “He is a player I highly rate, he’s one of the best I’ve worked with in terms of ability. He is showing consistency at a high level now. He can score goals, assist and is player we’ve had a lot of success with in the past.” John Stones, a defender for Manchester City, will not feature, having missed his club’s last two games due to a foot injury. However, his Manchester City teammate Jack Grealish is part of the squad, despite having been sidelined for their previous five matches with an injury. Carsley confirmed that England’s medical team is communicating with City’s staff and “expects Jack to be fit” for the upcoming fixtures. England’s interim manager added, “He [Grealish] has trained the last couple of days, he’ll come in, we’ll assess him, make sure he’s ready to play. I think he’s an important player, not just for this camp but for the future.” He also noted, “He’s an infectious character throughout the changing room, on and off the pitch, you can see he enjoys playing for England so he’s a player we wanted to give as long as we could.” Cole Palmer, a winger for Chelsea, has been chosen even though he is an injury concern for Sunday’s Premier League fixture against Arsenal. Arsenal’s midfielder Declan Rice has also received a call-up, despite not playing in the Gunners’ 1-0 Champions League loss to Inter Milan on Wednesday. The 25-year-old has a broken toe but is expected to continue participating in matches despite this ailment. Aaron Ramsdale of Southampton has been preferred over Newcastle’s goalkeeper Nick Pope. Meanwhile, Manchester United players Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire are unavailable due to injuries. Carsley additionally verified his intention to resume coaching England’s Under-21s once his tenure overseeing the senior squad concludes. The 50-year-old assumed the interim leadership role in July, following Gareth Southgate’s resignation after England’s loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final. Carsley had previously indicated he “hoped” to return to his former position but has now made a firm statement regarding his future plans. He stated, “My role will be back with the Under-21s. A role that I’m really privileged to do, there’s full support for the senior team.” He elaborated, “The job and the role is clear, to help produce and develop players for the senior team. And I think I’m in a better position to do that now I’ve seen the level that the seniors are operating at.” Reporting by Alex Howell, BBC Sport senior football news reporter Across the three training camps Carsley has overseen, he has consistently selected players familiar to him from his tenure as England Under-21s manager. Carsley guided the U21 squad to victory in the Euros held in Georgia in 2023, and he has subsequently recognized players who were part of that championship-winning team. While he has not simply handed out caps, and the young players he has brought in have demonstrated strong performance, his prior working relationship with them has undoubtedly been beneficial. The current England senior squad includes eight individuals who were part of the trophy-winning team under Carsley, with seven of these players having started the final match against Spain. The complete squad selection is as follows: Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton) Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City) Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal) Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) After four matches, England occupies second place in Nations League B Group 2, trailing leaders Greece by three points with two games remaining. The outcome of their Nations League campaign will influence their future standing in the competition and could also enhance their prospects of qualifying for the upcoming World Cup. Securing first place in their group would guarantee automatic promotion, whereas a second-place finish would lead to a play-off match against a team that finishes third in League A. The draw for these play-offs is scheduled for November 22, with the actual matches slated for March. Additionally, nations that emerge as winners of their respective Nations League groups will secure a spot in the qualifying play-offs for the 2026 World Cup, provided they do not qualify through conventional methods. In Europe’s World Cup qualifying, the twelve group winners will automatically advance to the finals, while the twelve runners-up will proceed to the play-offs. These play-offs will also feature the four Nations League group winners with the strongest records who did not progress from their World Cup qualifying group.