Morrison misses out on senior squad

07 November 2013 15:47

Ravel Morrison has been included in the England Under-21s squad after being overlooked by Roy Hodgson for the senior side.

After years of making headlines for the wrong reasons, the 20-year-old is beginning to show his outstanding natural ability with West Ham.

So impressive have those performances been that Morrison had been widely-tipped to be included in the squad for England's upcoming friendlies with Chile and Germany.

Hodgson chose not to pick the live-wire midfielder, though, meaning he will instead link up with Gareth Southgate's Under-21s squad for the European Championship qualifiers against Finland and San Marino.

West Brom forward Saido Berahino, another tipped for senior recognition, has also been named in the Young Lions squad.

QPR midfielder Tom Carroll and Norwich winger Nathan Redmond miss out through injury, while captain Andre Wisdom serves the final two games of a suspension.

Leicester defender Liam Moore has been called up almost a year after his Under-21s debut, while Southampton left-back Luke Shaw and Derby midfielder Will Hughes are both back in the squad after withdrawing from last month's matches with San Marino and Lithuania.

Southgate's side won both of those matches comprehensively and now face Finland in Milton Keynes on November 14, before taking on San Marino in Shrewsbury on November 19.

England Under-21 squad: Bond (Watford), Butland (Barnsley, on loan from Stoke), Long (Sheffield United); Dier (Sporting Lisbon), Jenkinson (Arsenal), Keane (Manchester United), Moore (Leicester), Robinson (Blackpool, on loan from Liverpool), Shaw (Southampton), Stones (Everton); Chalobah (Nottingham Forest, on loan from Chelsea), Hughes (Derby), Morrison (West Ham), Ward-Prowse (Southampton), Ince (Blackpool), Lingard (Birmingham, on loan from Manchester United), Sterling (Liverpool), Zaha (Manchester United); Berahino (West Brom), Kane (Tottenham), Ings (Burnley), Nick Powell (Wigan, on loan from Manchester United).

Source: PA