Southgate springs surprises: caretaker manager recalls Rashford, Lingard and Johnson for England qualifiers

England interim manager Gareth Southgate recalled Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard when he named his first squad in charge of the senior national side on Sunday.

The Old Trafford pair were both included for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia.

This was the first England squad since former manager Sam Allardyce dramatically lost his post after just one game in charge following a newspaper sting operation where he made a series of unguarded remarks.

Rashford and Lingard have become first-choice players during Jose Mourinho’s first season as United manager.

Rashford was left out when Allardyce named his one and only England squad, but a return looked likely when he was omitted from the under-21 party announced earlier this week.