Declan Rice named in England squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers

Declan Rice in an England shirt

 

Declan Rice has been named in Gareth Southgate's England squad for this month UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

The West Ham United midfielder is part of the Three Lions' selection as they look to take another step towards next summer's finals.

England have taken maximum points from their four matches to date - defeating Czech Republic, Kosovo and Bulgaria at home, and Montenegro on the road, scoring 19 goals in the process.

Next, they will face the return fixtures in Prague on Friday 11 October and Sofia on Monday 14 October, knowing that two victories would secure qualification with a brace games to spare.

Rice has featured in all of England's qualifiers to date, playing the 90 minutes in both the 4-0 win against Bulgaria at Wembley and the roller-coaster 5-3 victory over Kosovo in Southampton last month.

The 20-year-old has won five caps for his country since making his debut in March this year.

England are seeking their first-ever European Championship title, having reached the semi-finals in 1968 and again on home turf in 1996.

The final of the 24-team 2020 tournament will be played at Wembley Stadium on 12 July next year.