Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Jake Livermore have been called up by England for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley.
Sterling, Lallana and Livermore join squad with Walcott ruled out
Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana and Jake Livermore have been called up by England manager Roy Hodgson for Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley.
Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has been ruled out of the Group H encounter due to illness, while Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge missed training on Monday for the same reason but could still feature.
Defensive duo Ashley Cole and John Terry were already certain to miss the clash with Ukraine due to ankle injuries, but it is in the midfield that Hodgson has elected to call for reinforcements.
A statement on the FA's
official website read: "Theo Walcott has returned to Arsenal having woken on Monday morning with illness.
"Daniel Sturridge was forced to sit out of training also due to stomach cramps, but the England medical team are hopeful he will be available for Tuesday evening.
Impressed
"Having lost five players from his original squad, Hodgson has added three players ahead of the first home World Cup qualifier at Wembley.
"Southampton's Adam Lallana, Tottenham Hotspur's Jake Livermore and Liverpool's Raheem Sterling will all join the squad."
Tottenham midfielder Livermore made his England debut in the recent friendly victory over Italy, while Lallana and Sterling have been included for the first time.
The 17-year-old Anfield starlet has impressed with his performances for the Merseyside outfit this term, but his inclusion still comes out of the blue as he has only made seven appearances for the Reds in his fledgling career.
Southampton midfielder Lallana, 24, won just one cap at Under-21 level earlier in his career, coming on as an 86th minute substitute in the 2-0 win over Czech Republic back in November 2008.
Talents
Hodgson admitted that it was a good opportunity for him to cast an eye over Lallana and Sterling, but insisted their inclusion was more about gaining experience than with an eye on selection.
He said: "It is good when you have a chance to invite these young players to be around the team for a short period of time.
"Their early performances for Southampton and Liverpool this season have been very impressive and obviously they are talents
"With Raheem, I met him a couple of years ago, but in the last two years he has come on in leaps and bounds. In the opening matches where he has played, the reports on him have been very good
"This was an opportunity just to bring him into the group. I will make it clear to him that I am not bringing him in with a view to playing him now, I am bringing him in because there might be a time in the future when he will not only feature as a substitute, he might be breaking into the team."
