Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been handed a surprise call-up to the England squad, almost seven years since his last international appearance.
The AC Milan midfielder worked under Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea and has been drafted in in place of Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, who sustained an adductor injury during Sunday evening’s 3-0 win at Aston Villa.
Wharton had to come off in the second half and reports suggest he could miss the next two months.
Loftus-Cheek has 10 caps for England but last featured in 2018, coming on as a substitute against the United States. He was a part of the squad that reached the World Cup semi-finals in Russia earlier that year.
Loftus-Cheek thriving in Italy
The 29-year-old left Chelsea for Milan in 2023 and has made 70 appearances for the Rossoneri, scoring 11 times.
He has played in both of their opening two Serie A games and scored in the win over Lecce on Friday.
Tuchel’s England have two games over the next seven days.
They host Andorra on Saturday before an away game in Serbia – arguably their toughest game of the group – next Tuesday.
