Gareth Southgate has named his England squad for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro. England will play Czech Republic and Montenegro in their first Euro 2020 qualifiers at the end of March and Southgate has revealed his team. Advert 10 Southgate has called up West Ham United's Declan Rice, who decided his international future lies with England, for the first time. "His form warrants it," the England boss said on Rice's selection. "We like what we've seen in terms of his personality, his character and his leadership qualities. He'll fit very well into how we work." Advert 10 The London-born midfielder played three times for Republic of Ireland but qualified for England as they were all friendly games. Image: PA The 20-year-old has rose to prominence for the Hammers this season, producing heroics in the middle of the park and his manager Manuel Pellegrini believes he's ready. "I think that he is ready to play for England and I think that we are just starting the development of him as a player but at this moment his performances is better than every holding midfielder [that England has]," the Chilean manager said. Advert 10 "Is he the best in the Premier League? In this moment his performance, yes, at least I am talking about the English players. "Maybe there are other foreign players in big teams that are also playing well like Fernandinho but I repeat we are just starting, seeing what will be with Declan in the future." Image: PA England host Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium on March 22nd before traveling to Montenegro on 25th March. Advert 10<doc-sep>West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has been named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad ahead of their Euro 2020 qualifiers. The Three Lions face Czech Republic and Montenegro later this month as they look to build on promising performances at the World Cup and in the Nations League. Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton has also been recalled having not featured for his country in nearly two years. England face the Czech Republic at Wembley on March 22 before an away trip to Montenegro three days later as they begin qualification for Euro 2020 - of which the semi-finals and final will be held at Wembley. The two other nations in England’s group are Bulgaria and Kosovo. Check out the full squad here: After naming Rice in his squad for the first time, Southgate insisted that he fully deserved his place. "His form warrants it. It has obviously been a well-publicised situation. We've tracked him for quite a while. There were never any guarantees made to him but his form has been excellent," the England boss said. Southgate also reserved a few words for a player that didn't quite make the squad - Southampton's James Ward-Prowse. “We love Prowsey - I’ve been accused of being father of Prowsey over the years! This most recent spell is his best since we capped him before. He’s a world-class deliverer of set pieces. He’s only recently got back into the team at Southampton," Southgate added. As for Heaton, who has been impressing for Burnely recently, Southgate said: “We know Tom. He’s been a really impressive character to have around our squad in the past & at the moment he’s ahead in the battle that Burnley have. He’s had a frustrating period but it will be good to have him back.” News Now - Sport News<doc-sep>Newly-eligible Declan Rice was the only new face in Gareth Southgate's England squad for this month's Euro 2020 qualifiers. The Three Lions kick off Group A against the Czech Republic at Wembley next Friday before heading to Podgorica to take on Montenegro. Southgate has named a 25-man squad for the Euro 2020 double-header, with West Ham midfielder Rice, as expected, the headline inclusion. The 20-year-old appeared for the Republic of Ireland's youth teams and won three senior caps, but FIFA last week ratified his switch to England as those three appearances came in friendlies. Rice was the only uncapped player in the squad as Southgate favoured the tried and tested on the whole.<doc-sep>Rice earns first England call-up for Euro 2020 qualifiers The Three Lions have named their squad for their upcoming clashes with Czech Republic and Montenegro at the end of March Gareth Southgate has named Declan Rice in his squad for England's upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro. Rice only recently switched his allegiance from the Republic of Ireland , with FIFA officially granting the transfer in nationality on March 5. However, after a string of impressive performances for club side West Ham he has earned his spot in England's squad for the upcoming games. Article continues below The 20-year-old played three times for Ireland, but all three appearances were in friendly matches meaning he is still eligible to play for the Three Lions. He joins the likes of Tom Heaton, Callum Wilson and Jadon Sancho in a young England squad who will be looking to kickstart the nation's European Championships qualifying campaign in winning style. Sancho keeps his place in the squad after a series of impressive performances in the Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund. The 18-year-old winger has racked up nine goals and 11 assists in all competitions this season for Lucien Favre's side. Elsewhere, Jordan Pickford keeps his place in the squad despite some question marks over his recent form for club side for Everton. He is joined by fellow goalkeepers Jack Butland and Heaton, who earns a recall having been in impressive form for Burnley in 2019. There is no place, however, for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse despite being tipped for a call-up in the wake of scoring six goals since the turn of the year for the Saints. Jesse Lingard, Harry Winks and Joe Gomez are all missing due to injury issues. Southgate's side host Czech Republic on March 22, before an away tie against Montenegro on March 25. These two games are the last fixtures before this summer's UEFA Nations League finals in Portugal, where Southgate's men will face the Netherlands in the semi-finals on June 6. If victorious, they will advance to the final to take on either Portugal or Switzerland on June 9. Full squad Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Tom Heaton, Jordan Pickford Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Chilwell, Michael Keane, Harry Maguire, Danny Rose, Luke Shaw, John Stones, James Tarkowski, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker Midfielders: Ross Barkley, Dele Alli, Fabian Delph, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Declan Rice Forwards: Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, Callum Wilson.<doc-sep>
The West Ham midfielder, who has recently switched allegiance despite being named Ireland Young Player of the Year, gets his first call-up. The 20-year-old appeared for the Republic of Ireland’s youth teams and won three senior caps, but FIFA last week ratified his switch to England as those three appearances came in friendlies. Champions League Guardiola says leaving players out of final is 'terrible' 6 MINUTES AGO Rice was the only uncapped player in the squad as Southgate favoured the tried and tested on the whole. On Rice's inclusion, the England manager said: "His form warrants it. We like what we've seen in terms of his personality, his character and his leadership qualities. He'll fit very well into how we work." Borussia Dortmund youngster Jadon Sancho also retains his place in the squad while there was a recall for Tom Heaton, whose impressive form for Burnley has seen him selected alongside fellow goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and Jack Butland. Southgate has kept faith with Kieran Trippier, despite questions over fitness and form, while James Tarkowski and Harry Maguire returned to the squad as Lewis Dunk and the injured Joe Gomez dropped out. Harry Winks and Jesse Lingard were not risked due to groin and hamstring issues respectively, but Callum Wilson did enough on his return from a seven-week lay-off to be included again. The Three Lions kick off Group A against the Czech Republic at Wembley next Friday before heading to Podgorica to take on Montenegro. Additional reporting: PA Bundesliga Quick, strong and ready for the Premier League – Expert view on Ibrahima Konate 32 MINUTES AGO