Palmer shock in England squad as Jobe Bellingham and Josh King earn first call-ups

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has left Cole Palmer out of his squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures. Young talents Jobe Bellingham and Josh King, meanwhile, have been called up to the senior national team for the first time in their careers.

Palmer, who has made an impressive start to the season with Chelsea and has contributed directly to eight goals in all competitions (five goals, three assists), has been left out at Tuchel's discretion. Speaking about the 24-year-old, who was previously omitted from the World Cup squad and also left the camp at the start of this season, Tuchel said the player "had missed more than enough opportunities to play for England". Phil Foden, who has begun to rediscover his form at Manchester City, was another big name to miss out on a place in the squad.

With Tuchel opting for fresh faces, Jobe Bellingham, who has stood out with his impressive progress at Borussia Dortmund, joins the squad alongside his elder brother Jude Bellingham. Having featured in almost all of Dortmund's matches this season, Jobe ranks among the top performers in his team for duels won (17), interceptions (19) and loose balls recovered (67). Should he get on the pitch, the youngster will become part of the fourth pair of brothers to wear the England shirt in the modern era.

Another player receiving his first call-up ahead of the matches against Croatia and Spain is Fulham academy graduate Josh King. Having made a rapid start to the Premier League season with two goals and one assist, the player has been rewarded with a place in the senior squad.

Arsenal's Ben White has been called up for the first time since March, while Declan Rice, who has recovered from injury, also returns to the team. Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Alex Scott and Trevoh Chalobah, on the other hand, could not be included as they remain sidelined through injury, while Djed Spence has been called up for the first time since the World Cup.

England, who sit second in Nations League Group A4, three points behind Spain, will host Croatia at Wembley on 12 November before travelling to Madrid to face Spain three days later.

England squad

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Leeds United), Jason Steele (Brighton)

Defenders: Ezri Konsa (Arsenal), Marc Guéhi (Manchester City), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid), Lewis Hall (Newcastle United), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Inter), Ben White (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Josh King (Fulham), James Garner (Everton), Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Declan Rice (Arsenal)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds United), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea)