Wharton has played only once for the senior England team, making his debut under former manager Gareth Southgate in June 2024 during a friendly against Bosnia & Herzegovina. He was part of the squad for Euro 2024 but did not play in any matches during the tournament. Meanwhile, Scott has earned 11 caps for England’s Under-21 team and has been a key player for Bournemouth this season, participating in all 10 Premier League matches.
According to The Athletic, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham returns to the squad after missing the October camp.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah has been selected, but there is no place for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, AC Milan’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, or Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly. In goal, Newcastle United’s Nick Pope has been chosen over Manchester City’s James Trafford.
It’s uncertain whether Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon will join the squad, as Eddie Howe indicated he might miss the match against Brentford on Sunday due to a hip injury.
England will play Serbia at home on November 13, followed by an away game against Albania three days later.
Full Squad
Goalkeepers:
- Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)
- Jordan Pickford (Everton)
- Nick Pope (Newcastle United)
Defenders:
- Dan Burn (Newcastle United)
- Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)
- Reece James (Chelsea)
- Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa)
- Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City)
- Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen)
- Djed Spence (Tottenham Hotspur)
- John Stones (Manchester City)
Midfielders:
- Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest)
- Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
- Jordan Henderson (Brentford)
- Declan Rice (Arsenal)
- Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
- Alex Scott (Bournemouth)
- Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards:
- Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)
- Eberechi Eze (Arsenal)
- Phil Foden (Manchester City)
- Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
- Harry Kane (Bayern Munich)
- Marcus Rashford (Barcelona)
- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Regarding the inclusion of Wharton and Scott, coach Thomas Tuchel stated, “We added Adam because he deserves it. We need to learn about him in our environment and see what he can bring to our squad, especially if Elliot (Anderson) isn’t able to play both 90 minutes.”
“Alex deserves this opportunity. I first noticed him during the Euros with the Under-21s, where he excelled alongside Elliot Anderson in central midfield and played a significant role in their title win. Since then, he has become a regular starter for Bournemouth, who are consistently performing well in the league. He has worked hard for this nomination, and I hope he can showcase his talent and personality.”
In recent matches, Tuchel has favored a midfield pairing of Nottingham Forest’s Anderson and Arsenal’s Declan Rice, with support from Brentford’s Jordan Henderson and Loftus-Cheek.
England secured their qualification for next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico with a 5-0 victory over Latvia on October 14. They currently lead Group K, seven points ahead of second-placed Albania, with two games remaining.
The draw for their group-stage opponents next summer will take place in Washington D.C. on December 5.
