New England head coach Lee Carsley explains shock Angel Gomes selection

Gomes, 23, represented Manchester United between 2006 and 2020 before leaving the Red Devils in search of first-team action, with the midfielder arriving at Lille before immediately being loaned to Boavista.

The Englishman scored six times and registered six assists in 32 appearances for Boavista before returning to Lille, and he has since represented the French club on 117 occasions, scoring eight goals and registering 18 assists in the process.

Gomes played under Carsley for England Under-21s, helping the team to secure glory at the European Championship in 2023, and he will now be hoping to earn his first senior international minutes in the UEFA Nations League.

Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and Chelsea's Noni Madueke have also been included in the squad for the matches against Republic of Ireland and Finland on September 7 and September 10 respectively.

Carsley calls Gomes "very technical"

"Morgan's a very attacking player, full of energy, very creative and very exciting. He's got a brilliant attitude and work rate and he's very difficult to play against," Carsley told reporters during his press conference.

"He's been very successful with England. A lot of the players we've called in are used to winning. Morgan and Angel have been part of teams that won the Under-17s World Cup and Under-21 EUROs.

"Angel is different to what we've seen in the past in midfield. He's not so much the classic physical, robust midfielder but he's very technical and controls the game with skill. He's got an excellent attitude and I think he's a player people are going to be excited to see. Noni can provide a bit of energy and enthusiasm and has had a great start to the season with Chelsea.

"Looking at the squad, I've worked with the majority of them, whether it be when I was assisting or managing the Under-21s. I also wanted to get the staff around me that know how I work and how I want the camp to run. The players who have been called up are really exciting and they were great phone calls to make."

Walker is a surprise absentee from England squad

Carsley also addressed his decision to leave Manchester City's Kyle Walker out of the squad but recall Harry Maguire, who missed this summer's European Championship due to injury.

"It's important players here are ready to play and up to speed. Kyle hasn't played for Manchester City yet, suggesting they're phasing him in. We wanted to pick players who have minutes in their legs," he added.

"These are two tough games. That was my thinking. Players who aren't involved aren't ruled out, I'm not in a position to do that. I see Harry Maguire as a really good leader. We have young defenders like Marc Guehi and Levi Colwill, so Harry and John [Stones] will be a really good example for them."

Carsley also insisted that James Maddison and Marcus Rashford are "on the radar" despite being overlooked for a spot in his first squad since replacing Gareth Southgate at the helm.

Adam Wharton was a surprise absentee from the squad considering his excellent form for Crystal Palace in the second half of last season, while there were also no positions in the selection for either Raheem Sterling or Aaron Ramsdale.