Harwood-Bellis Expresses Surprise at First Senior England Selection

Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis indicated on Thursday that he had not anticipated his initial inclusion in the England squad. The 22-year-old, who has consistently represented England at the under-21 level, conveyed to club media, external that he was “pleasantly surprised” upon receiving notification of his first call-up to the senior team. The former Manchester City centre-back commented: “I’ve obviously thought about it as something I wanted to do in my career but, to do it now, I didn’t expect it.” He added, “It’ll be a good experience. It’ll be tough to get minutes but I want to play. I’m not the type of person to be happy sitting on the bench, no matter who I’m playing for. Hopefully I can get a few minutes and I’ll be proud.”