England squad: Gareth Southgate picks Marcus Rashford and recalls Glen Johnson

Interim England head coach Gareth Southgate served up some surprises in his first squad announcement on Sunday night, bringing uncapped Jesse Lingard into his 23-man group while also recalling Glen Johnson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after long absences.

Southgate has also called time on Marcus Rashford's brief spell with the national team's Under-21 side, promoting him back to the senior squad after a hat-trick against Norway's Under-21 side and a handful of impressive performances for Manchester United this season.

Lingard failed to make it onto the pitch in his previous call-up in November 2015, but will have a chance to finally win his first cap in the Three Lions' World Cup qualifying fixtures against Malta and Slovenia this month, with Adam Lallana out of the reckoning with an injury picked up in Liverpool's weekend game against Swansea.

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Lallana's Reds teammate Nathaniel Clyne was also absent from Southgate's first squad announcement with a knee injury, leaving space for Johnson's first England call-up since a disastrous 2014 World Cup campaign saw the 32-year-old right-back banished in favour of younger alternatives.

Southgate admitted that fitness concerns "had a bearing on the squad", saying: "We've had a few people unavailable through injury like Harry Kane and Jack Butland, and we've lost a couple over the weekend in Danny Drinkwater, Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne while Luke Shaw isn't quite back fit yet.

The 46-year-old also conceded that his time working with Lingard and Rashford with England's Under-21s had contributed to their respective call-ups, calling the pair "exciting young players who we wanted to put in this squad."

England's fixtures against Malta and Slovenia will be played on 8 and 11 October respectively, the first of four games Southgate is expected to take charge of while the FA look to replace Sam Allardyce after his shock departure last week.