Steve McClaren has called up Michael Dawson, Jermaine Jenas, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe as well as England's no. 1 Paul Robinson for his squad to face Spain in a friendly at Old Trafford next week. Stuart Pearce has called Tom Huddlestone, Ben Alnwick and Wayne Routledge (loaned out to Fulham) for his U-21's squad.
It might be my bias but I actually believed that Tom might be called into the first team already - there seems to be some consensus that he is the 'next big thing' - but undoubtedly that time will come. He is, after all, only 20 and has to compete with Lampard and Gerrard in central midfield. Aaron Lennon, at 19, isn't even the 'next' big thing - he's already there. As he has displayed with growing confidence this season, he can play equally well on the left as on the right, something which McClaren might be considering.
The full squad: Goalkeepers: Paul Robinson (Tottenham), Ben Foster (Manchester United, on loan at Watford), Chris Kirkland (Wigan). Defenders: Gary Neville (Manchester United), Phil Neville (Everton), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Jonathan Woodgate (Real Madrid, on loan at Middlesbrough), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Michael Dawson (Tottenham), Micah Richards (Manchester City). Midfield: Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Scott Parker (Newcastle), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Joey Barton (Manchester City), Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham), Kieron Dyer (Newcastle). Forwards: Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Andrew Johnson (Everton).
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