England boss Gareth Southgate has explained his reasons for selecting Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy in his latest Three Lions squad ahead of Burnley stopper Joe Hart.
Everton's Jordan Pickford and Stoke City's Jack Butland have both kept their positions in the squad for the upcoming matches with Spain and Switzerland, but Burnley's Nick Pope is out with a shoulder problem.
Hart had been tipped to earn a recall due to his club teammate's injury, but McCarthy has been selected, and Southgate has said that the Saints stopper deserves to be in the 23.
"It's an opportunity for Alex. He's not a player we've worked with. We'd like to know a bit more about him," Southgate told reporters.
"We know what Joe can do. Having got as close to the World Cup as he did, and leaving him out at the end, it's a bit too early to bring him back into the fold. Let's look at some of the others over the next few months.
"I'm sure Joe has still got a desire to be involved with England but again, we've got a problem in goalkeeping positions. There are four or five [English] goalkeepers maximum playing in the Premier League."
England will open their UEFA Nations League campaign against Spain on September 8 before taking on Switzerland in a friendly on September 11.
Matt Law
