Harry Kane says his comments on club versus country got more attention than he expected and were "just a reminder" to his team-mates instead of a criticism.

England suffered nine injury withdrawals after Lee Carsley's squad was announced, with Kane seemingly questioning the commitment of those who dropped out, saying "England comes before everything".

Despite their many absences, a young England side recorded a 3-0 win over Greece on Thursday to send them top of their Nations League group.

However, the Three Lions have since seen a 10th withdrawal from the squad, with Ezri Konsa returning to Aston Villa after going off with a hip complaint in that game.

Speaking for the first time since that interview, Kane explained he was keen to preserve the team culture Gareth Southgate fostered by using these international breaks effectively.

"All the players try and give their best whenever they come with England. I know it's a really tough stage of the season," he said in a press conference.

"Whoever is in the squad is the most important thing. Whatever we have here is all we can work with.

"Going forward there are always going to be injuries, it is just whoever is with the squad is ready to make a difference."

On the attention his comments got, Kane added: "I didn't expect it to get as much coverage as it did. The November camp has always been difficult - you're in the heart of a lot of games.

"So, it's just my opinion that it is really important after a major championship, where September, October, November camps are really important in a year ahead to the World Cup.

"These are the camps as well where you build that culture and that togetherness that lead you into a World Cup. It was just a reminder that it's really, really special to play for England."

Kane started the match against Greece on the bench, with Ollie Watkins leading the line in his place. The Villa forward scored seven minutes in, before being replaced by the England captain in the 66th minute.

Interim boss Carsley, who is taking charge of his final game before Thomas Tuchel takes over on January 1, confirmed that Kane would be back in the starting line-up against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday.

"Yes, he is definitely playing," Carsley said.

"With Harry Kane, you always think goals, but he brings a lot more to the squad and the team than that. His leadership skills, he's a good guy, which is really important as well.

"The example he sets to the younger players, he's a crucial part of the England team and also moving forward."

England and Greece are both level on 12 points after five games, but the former have a better head-to-head goal difference, so a win over Ireland would see them promoted back to League A. 

Left-arm seamer Obed McCoy has been added to the 15-man squad for the West Indies Senior Men’s T20I squad as a replacement for medium-pacer Matthew Forde for the remainder of the five-match T20I series against England in Saint Lucia.

Forde, named Player of the Series in the One Day International leg of the tour, where the West Indies secured a series win, sustained a left thigh injury during training on Wednesday 13 November, at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium. The 22-year-old Forde will continue to be monitored by the medical team as he works toward a full recovery.

As a result, McCoy, who was initially unavailable due to an injury sustained during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), has now been cleared to return to play. The left-arm seamer, who has taken 49 wickets in 38 T20 Internationals for the West Indies, will join the squad on Friday 15 November, ahead of the back-to-back matches over the weekend to close out the Rivalry series.

West Indies T20I Squad:

Rovman Powell (Captain)
Roston Chase
Shimron Hetmyer
Terrance Hinds
Shai Hope
Akeal Hosein
Alzarri Joseph
Brandon King
Evin Lewis
Obed McCoy
Gudakesh Motie
Nicholas Pooran
Sherfane Rutherford
Romario Shepherd
Shamar Springer

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi insists the world champions will not be lacking in motivation for Saturday's clash with England at Twickenham, saying the teams' meetings are "always personal".

The Springboks are aiming to inflict a fifth straight defeat on Steve Borthwick's troubled hosts, who suffered a dramatic 42-37 defeat to Australia last week.

England's most recent meeting with South Africa – in the semi-finals of last year's World Cup – was overshadowed by Tom Curry accusing Bongi Mbonambi of directing a racist slur towards him, an allegation the Springboks hooker denied.

South Africa won that match 16-15 thanks to a late Handre Pollard penalty before beating New Zealand in the final, and Kolisi knows they now have a target on their backs.

"It's always personal. That's just how we prepare ourselves for games," Kolisi said on Friday.

"It's got to be personal. It's another man trying to run through you in-game, it doesn't get more personal than that. So every game for us is personal.

"This one, in Twickenham, is a big game and we know what England have been going through. We've been in their position before.

"We know we've got a target on our back at all times. Every single team that plays against us... we've got to make it as personal as possible because we want to stay where we are." 

England have recalled full-back Freddie Steward for the match, after he lost his place to George Furbank during the Six Nations earlier this year.

The 23-year-old is delighted to be back in the fold and is determined to make the most of his opportunity.

"It was one of the hardest things I've had to deal with," Steward told BBC Radio 5 Live. "When you have something for a while and then you lose it, it puts into perspective how important that thing is to you.

"Not having that over the last couple of months has been really challenging. Emotionally, it has been tough, but I've had to use that as fuel to keep pushing and wanting to get better and win that place back.

"It can be a kick in the teeth but you have to use those experiences, and I'm sat here now as a better rugby player and a stronger person."

Outgoing England interim manager Lee Carsley says his decision to start Ollie Watkins over Harry Kane against Greece was 'no slight' on his captain.

The Three Lions had suffered nine withdrawals from their initial squad announced last week, although Kane remained available for selection and came on for Watkins in the 66th minute.

But Carsley's decision paid off, with Watkins putting England ahead after just seven minutes, with his fifth international goal setting them on the way to a 3-0 win in Athens, with an own goal and Curtis Jones rounded off the scoring.

"It was brilliant for Ollie to get a goal," Carsley said. "It's important that I think if we are going to put these players in a position where we are going to go and win the World Cup, then these players need to have as many experiences as they can.

"So, it was no slight on Harry. He'll start the next game and I think there are a lot of positives to take from that performance."

When asked how the England captain reacted to not being named in the starting XI, Carsley explained that Kane had no issues with it.

"He was absolutely fine. It would be fair to say he wants to play every game, like all top players do," he said.

"I think he understands that it's important that other players experience that kind of experience that we had tonight.

"He's a great example to the rest of the players and I expect him to start on Sunday and play well."

The decision to start Watkins over Kane came alongside other selection decisions, as Rico Lewis, Noni Madueke, Jones, Lewis Hall and Morgan Rogers all featured for a youthful England side, with the latter three making their senior debuts.

Despite Carsley's roots as England Under-21 coach, he assured the post-match media that there was no nepotism on his part to include the more inexperienced players.

"No, none at all, to be fair," the interim boss said. "None at all.

"I see the quality that the players have got. You're now seeing it in terms of the younger ones, that they're more than capable with the mentality and quality they've got to play in stages like tonight.

"I thought a lot of the players, especially the younger ones - well, all of the players, to be fair - played with such quality tonight.

Jos Buttler believes England are in a "strong place" after they edged past West Indies in St. Lucia, beating them by three wickets to claim a series-winning victory. 

The tourists took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, but had to rely heavily on luck during their 146-run chase, with Liam Livingstone dropped three times on the way to 39.

But it was England's bowlers who initially did the damage, with Saqib Mahmood putting in a player-of-the-match performance to finish with figures of 3-17, with his three wickets coming in the powerplay, in which the West Indies were skittled to 37-5.

Mahmood's three wickets came in the powerplay, in which the West Indies were skittled to 37-5. Mahmood was clearly delighted with the bowling performance after the match.

Captain Rovman Powell (54) helped the hosts recover, but they were ultimately unable to post a winning score and finished on 145-8.

It was not an easy ride for England, though, having initially slipped to 37-3 in their own powerplay, before Sam Curran knocked 41 off 26 balls to dig his side out of a hole.

It was left to Livingstone to finish the job, having been dropped twice by Nicholas Pooran on six and eight and again by Shimron Hetmyer on 21.

But England squeaked over the line with just four balls remaining, consolidating their lead in the series with just two matches remaining.

"[It was] a real collective effort to win the series, which is really pleasing. I've been so impressed with how we've set the tone in the powerplays in all three games so far," said captain Buttler.

"We're in a really strong place as a team. We've got really good competition for places too, when you consider the players who aren't here."

Mahmood's fast start was key to England's success on Thursday, and he was delighted with his personal performance after the match. 

"As a bowling unit we've always had the mindset of wanting to take early wickets," he said.

"We know their batting line-up is stacked all the way down, but we haven't backed down, and we have taken powerplay wickets in every game so far.

"I feel really free in this team now. It feels like my spot, and it feels like a really great chance to express myself out there."

West Indies captain Rovman Powell, meanwhile, was clear where his side need to tighten up.

"It's a bit disappointing, we keep losing wickets in the powerplay and in clusters. We need to be our natural selves," he said.

"We know we are stroke players and come out aggressively but that little element of being smart was missing."

The West Indies had a batting performance to forget as England secured an unassailable 3-0 lead in their five-match T20I series with a three-wicket win at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet on Thursday.

The hosts made a sub-par 145-8 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat. For the second match in a row, the West Indies quickly found themselves on the back foot with the wickets of Shai Hope (4), Evin Lewis (3), Nicholas Pooran (7), Roston Chase (7) and Shimron Hetmyer (2) leaving them 37-5 in the sixth over.

Captain Rovman Powell and Romario Shepherd steadied the ship somewhat with a 73-run sixth wicket partnership before Shepherd fell for 30 at the start of the 16^th over.

Powell eventually made a top score of 54 odd 41 balls while Alzarri Joseph provided some valuable lower-order runs with 21*.

Saqib Mahmood continued his excellent form with the ball in the series with 3-17 from his four overs while Jamie Overton was also brilliant, taking 3-20 from his four.

England then reached 149-7 with four balls to spare to secure the win and a series victory.

Sam Curran led the way with 41 while Liam Livingstone and Will Jacks made 39 and 32, respectively.

Akeal Hosein bowled excellently despite the loss with 4-22 from his four overs.

The fourth T20I will take place at the same venue on Saturday.

Interim coach Lee Carsley was delighted with the progress of his England side as they defeated Greece 3-0 in Athens to move top of their Nations League group.

Having fallen to a 2-1 defeat to Greece when they travelled to Wembley at the start of October, the Three Lions exacted revenge as Ollie Watkins opened the scoring early before an own goal and debut goal from Curtis Jones completed the rout deep in the second half.

The travelling side entered the international break without several key figures, including Cole Palmer, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold, after nine players withdrew with injury.

While England are set to welcome the Republic of Ireland to their home venue on Sunday, Carsley is pleased with the development he has seen so far.

"It represents that we are moving in the right direction. We won't get too carried away, we have a big game on Sunday at Wembley,” he told ITV.

"It is just important the players played to their strengths. We have a lot of outstanding talent. The players that weren't here, we concentrated on the ones who were. They took their opportunity today.”

Carsley’s team featured three debutants – Jones, Morgan Rogers and Lewis Hall – with Jones scoring an audacious backheel flick to stun the crowd.

The Liverpool midfielder capped off what was already a tremendous performance as he had the most touches from either team (86) and delivered 100% passing accuracy in the final third.

"Curtis Jones is an outstanding player. He played really well, even without his goal. With his goal it was an excellent performance,” Carsley enthused.

"People were speaking last night about the inexperience in the squad but these players are playing for their clubs at a really high level."

Curtis Jones’ brilliant backheel on his debut helped England win 3-0 against Greece to move top of Group B2 in the Nations League.

Lee Carsley’s men exacted revenge in Athens having been defeated 2-1 by Greece at Wembley. The result sees England overtake their opponents on goal difference with 12 points each.

England got off the mark quickly as Noni Madueke burst down the right wing, beating four players to the byline, before cutting back for Ollie Watkins to slot home from close range in the seventh minute.

Jordan Pickford was called into action to keep the scores level, first tipping over Kostas Tsimikas’ stinging shot before denying Fotis Ioannidis' effort from range after the break.

While Jude Bellingham hit the left post with a header from a corner not long into the second half, England would have to wait until the 77th minute to celebrate their second.

Bellingham was the instigator once more as he latched on to a first-time pass from debutant Morgan Rogers to charge in from the left and drive a low shot onto the left post.

The ball rebounded onto the trailing leg of the diving Odysseas Vlachodimos, who could not scramble back in time to prevent an own goal.

Jones completed the rout six minutes later as he latched onto Morgan Gibbs-White’s cross from the right to send an audacious backheel past Vlachodimos.

Data Debrief: Debut delight for Jones

Jones is the first Liverpool player to score on his England debut since Sammy Lee back in November 1982, also in an away game against Greece.

He is the ninth Jones to play for England, after Alf, Bill, Harry, Herbert, Mick, Phil, Rob and William. The only surname to provide more England players is Smith (20).

There were also debuts for Lewis Hall and Morgan Rogers. The latter became the 63rd player to make their England debut while with Aston Villa. It’s the first time they've had two in the same year (Ezri Konsa and Rogers) since 2007 (Scott Carson and Ashley Young).

At 20 years and 67 days, Hall became the youngest Newcastle United player to appear for England in a competitive international since Jock Rutherford in April 1904 against Scotland in a Home Nations match (19 years and 180 days).

Freddie Steward and Jack van Poortvliet will return for England on Saturday, with Steve Borthwick making four changes against South Africa.

England were unchanged for their narrow defeats against New Zealand and Australia, but the Leicester pair, who were not included in the squad for either of those matches, come straight in to replace George Furbank and Ben Spencer.

Ollie Sleightholme scored his first international tries in the defeat to Australia and is rewarded with a maiden Test start in place of Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, while Sam Underhill comes in for Tom Curry, with both players missing due to head injuries.

England have lost each of their last four Test matches, their longest such run since losing five straight games in 2018.

"We're excited to challenge ourselves against the world's top-ranked team and back-to-back Rugby World Cup champions," Borthwick said.

"Test matches against South Africa are always thrilling contests, and I'm sure Saturday will be no exception."

Meanwhile, South Africa have made 12 changes to their starting XV from their 32-15 win over Scotland on Sunday.

Captain Siya Kolisi and Pieter-Steph du Toit return in the back row, while Cheslin Kobe is also named in the side.

The world champions have got a more balanced look to their bench this time around though, with coach Rassie Erasmus opting not to name seven forwards among the replacements this time around.

England squad in full:

Freddie Steward, Tommy Freeman, Ollie Lawrence, Henry Slade, Ollie Sleightholme, Marcus Smith, Jack van Poortvliet, Ellis Genge, Jamie George (captain), Will Stuart, Maro Itoje, George Martin, Chandler Cunningham-South, Sam Underhill, Ben Earl.

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Fin Baxter, Dan Cole, Nick Isiekwe, Alex Dombrandt, Harry Randall, George Ford, Tom Roebuck.

South Africa squad in full:

Alphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Damian De Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Maine Libbok, Grant Williams, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Wilco Loux, Eben Etzebeth, RG Snyman, Siya Kolisi (captain), Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Jasper Wiese.

Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Cobus Reinach, Handre Pollard, Lukhanyo Am.

Lee Carsley wants the England players at his disposal to "make the most of the situation" after nine others dropped out through injury.

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite on Wednesday became latest player to withdraw from the Nations League games with Greece and Republic of Ireland.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale and Levi Colwill have also dropped out.

England captain Harry Kane has admitted to being unhappy with the large number of withdrawals for interim boss Carsley's final two games in charge.

However, Carsley attempted to put a positive spin on the situation when speaking at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday ahead of facing Greece.

"The focus all camp has been on the players that are here and it's important that we make the most of the situation," he told reporters.

"With the amount of players that have pulled out, it gives other players an opportunity to be here.

"We're really looking forward to the game and it's going to be a tough test for us and the focus has been purely on the players that are here.

"With the amount of pull-outs we've had in the window, historically it's been like that in the past - November has always been a challenging window.

"But the culture that Gareth [Southgate], Steve [Holland] and the rest of the lads created has made it a really positive environment and the players that are here thoroughly deserve to be here."

Grealish was one of the first players to withdraw from the squad, having been called up despite not playing for club side Manchester City since 20 October.

City boss Pep Guardiola questioned England's decision to include Grealish in their squad as he recovers from injury, but Carsley insisted he was justified in doing so.

"The medical teams are constantly talking throughout squad selection, regardless of whether there are games or not," Carsley said.

"We are constantly getting updates. The medical departments have brilliant communication between club and country.

"It was always the case we were going to get the players who were potentially going to miss out in to the assessed. Jack was one of them. He was assessed and sent back and it was as clear as that."

England trail Group B2 leaders Greece by three points with two rounds of fixtures to play, having lost the reverse fixture 2-1 at Wembley last month.

The Three Lions have won on all four of their previous trips to face Greece, doing so by an aggregate score of 9-1 - only against Luxembourg (5/5) do they hold a better 100% win rate away from home.

However, Greece are on the longest active winning run of any European nation in all competitions (five games) and could win six consecutive matches for the first time November 2013.

Carsley, who will step aside for Thomas Tuchel after next week's home match with Republic of Ireland, said: "We're expecting a tough game against Greece and it’s one we have to win.

"But we're really looking forward to it, we've had a good week's training, the players are in good spirits and it's going to be a sell out with a great atmosphere.

"We've had to wait four or five weeks for this, but this next window is so important to us, not just tomorrow but Republic of Ireland as well, so it's a great challenge for us."

Though facing an uphill task in their five-match T20 series against England, West Indies captain Rovman Powell is cautiously optimistic that they can produce a comeback to not only overturn a challenging 2-0 deficit but to go all the way in the series.

Powell’s sentiments served as a rallying cry of sorts as they stare down a must-win situation in the third encounter at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia on Thursday to keep the series alive.

Still, Powell expressed confidence that the Caribbean setting, coupled with a few strategic changes, will bolster their fightback.

“St. Lucia is always a good place for us. It provides an opportunity for us to play good cricket, and the wicket is generally a good one, probably the best one in the Caribbean,” Powell said in a pre-game interview.

“The people of St Lucia always come out to support us, which is also good, and so we're looking forward to the next three games. Hopefully they can come out and support us, and we can deliver some good cricket,” he added.

After two tough matches in Barbados, which England won by eight wickets and seven wickets, respectively, Powell emphasized the significance of a renewed focus while also pointing to the need for every player to take personal accountability heading into the crucial contest.

“I think it’s a case of each guy reflecting on how things have gone so far from an individual perspective to see if we as individuals are bringing enough to the table, and then we try our best to try to put it together as a team. We have areas that definitely need work, but the guys are in good spirits. We had a good training session today, so we’re hoping to hit the ground running,” Powell explained.

St Lucia is not only familiar territory but also presents a new beginning, especially with the return of key pacer Alzarri Joseph from a two-match suspension.

Powell believes Joseph’s presence will fortify a bowling attack that has struggled in the opening games, as England easily chased down 182 and 158 in both games.

“If you should look at our bowling department, we really needed him in those games. So, it's important for him to come and hit the straps and hit the ground running. As a bowling group, we have areas where we need to control the power play because the middle overs generally take care of themselves, and he will come to bowl some of those overs in the backend,” he shared.

Despite the uphill battle, Powell cited the Caribbean side’s recent successes over the past 18 months as a reminder of their potential.

“It's a little uncomfortable being 2-0 to be honest; it's a position that we haven't found ourselves in in a long time, but it's an opportunity for us to show what we are made of as a T20 team,” Powell declared.

“England is a team that we have played quite often these days, and we have had good results against them. It's just unfortunate that Barbados wasn't good for us in terms of T20 cricket, but St Lucia provides a new opportunity for us to come out and play some good cricket,” the Jamaican reasoned.

Finally, Powell reiterated the importance of a victory on Thursday, not only to stay in the series but also to set the stage for an exhilarating weekend of cricket. The final two encounters are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

“It's a case of us getting back into the series; we just need a win, and once we get the win tomorrow, we can go from there. The guys are upbeat; even though we are 2-0 down, they are in a good frame of mind and ready to play good cricket,” the captain ended.

Harry Kane has questioned the number of players withdrawing from the latest England squad, insisting the national team "comes before anything". 

England face Greece and the Republic of Ireland in their final two matches in Nations League Group B2 this week, also their last two games under interim head coach Lee Carsley before Thomas Tuchel takes over in January.

Eight players have withdrawn from Carsley's squad – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale and Levi Colwill.

In an interview with ITV Sport on Wednesday, Three Lions skipper Kane appeared to question the commitment of those dropping out.

"I think England comes before anything. England comes before club," Kane said.

"England is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer and Gareth [Southgate] was hot on that and he wasn't afraid to make decisions if, you know, that started to drift from certain players.

"It's a shame this week obviously. I think it's a tough period of the season, maybe that's been taken advantage of a little bit.

"I don't really like it if I'm totally honest. I think England comes before anything, any club situation."

England likely need to beat Greece – who claimed a 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium last month – to have any chance of winning automatic promotion back to League A.

Should the Three Lions finish second, they will face a third-placed finisher from League A – potentially Poland, Belgium, Hungary or Serbia – in a promotion play-off tie in March.

Senior England coach Richard Wigglesworth believes that the pressure to win matches is part of the privilege of playing for the national team.

England face world champions South Africa at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday with displeasure growing after four straight defeats.

Included in that run were narrow losses in their first two Autumn Nations Series games against New Zealand and Australia. 

Though England have won three of their last four games against South Africa at Allianz Stadium, Wigglesworth insisted everyone within the squad wants to improve. 

"This job of being part of the England team is such a privilege, because so many people care, which makes your feeling on the matter really big," Wigglesworth told BBC Sport.

"Our job is to step back from that and see what was right, what was wrong, and what can we fix.

"We need to see the game for what it is, make the decisions for what they are, and get better every week.

"It is our job to make sure the players understand as much as they can that they can’t get affected by that as well.

"We know the attention the team gets is result-dependent, and rightly so."

The last time England and South Africa faced one another was in the Rugby World Cup semi-final in 2023, in which the Springboks came back from 15-6 down to win 16-15.

England will have to be wise to how the visitors have evolved since that game according to Wigglesworth.

"They have a squad and a plan they have done for a while, and when you are successful you tend to stick to things," he said.

"I have really enjoyed watching what they do, and how they do it. It is our job to meet that and rise to it."

West Indies white ball head coach Daren Sammy says there’s still optimism in his camp that they can overcome the 0-2 deficit they currently face in their five-game T20I series against England.

The hosts lost the first two game of the series at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday and Sunday, with the rest of the series now shifting to the Daren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia beginning with the third T20I on Thursday.

“Most definitely, especially here in St. Lucia,” Sammy said in a pre-match interview on Tuesday regarding his team’s optimism ahead of Thursday’s must-win game and the rest of the series.

“Yes, England have played better cricket than us in these first two games but I’ve rallied St. Lucia to come out and be the 12^th man that we need here. We just haven’t played the brand of cricket that has allowed us to win and it’s something that we’re going to address but we have the manpower within that dressing room to win on Thursday and take it one game at a time,” he added.

The West Indies will be without two key players for the rest of the series in Andre Russell and Shamar Joseph.

Russell suffered an ankle injury in the first T20I on Saturday and has been ruled out for the rest of the series while Joseph has left the squad to prepare for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh starting on November 22 in Antigua.

Replacing the pair are all-rounder Shamar Springer and spearhead Alzarri Joseph, returning to the squad after serving a two-game suspension.

“It’s always a blow to replace somebody like Andre Russell. We have young Shamar Springer who made his debut in Sri Lanka to replace him. He’s a really exciting prospect,” Sammy said.

“Shamar will go in and get ready for the Test series and Alzarri is back from his suspension. We’re looking forward to welcoming him and the experience he brings to the squad. Yes, we lose two key guys but we get two guys who are capable of doing the job for the team as well,” he added.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis revealed he was in a state of disbelief when he was told about his first call-up to the England senior team last week.

Harwood-Bellis, along with Newcastle's Lewis Hall, received their maiden Three Lions call-ups in Lee Carsley's final squad as interim head coach. 

The Southampton defender has impressed under Russell Martin this season, featuring in all of their Premier League fixtures so far this season. 

Harwood-Bellis has won more aerial duels (13) for the Saints in the top-flight this term, with only Jan Bednarek (888) completing more passes than the 22-year-old (684). 

He is also someone well known to the interim boss from his time in charge of England's Under-21's side, with his 21 appearances more than any other player during Carsley's tenure in the current Three Lions squad.

"Lee Carsley rang me in the morning and said, 'you'll be with us, with the seniors'. I didn't quite believe it at first," he told a press conference.

"My partner was next to me and I phoned my dad, who was very proud. He loves when I play for England, even the younger age groups.

"One of the first people to message me was Aaron Ramsdale. I was happy to see his name as he's one of my mates at the club."

Unfortunately for Harwood-Bellis, Ramsdale has since pulled out of the squad with a finger injury and has been replaced by Burnley's James Trafford. 

England travel to Athens to take on Group B2 leaders Greece on Thursday before returning to Wembley three days later as they square off against the Republic of Ireland. 

With a number of first-team regulars out through injury, Harwood-Bellis has the opportunity to become the first Saints player to represent England since Kyle Walker-Peters did so back in 2022.

The defender understood the potential ramifications of performing well for the Three Lions during this international break, with Thomas Tuchel taking over in the new year.

"It will be a big motivation for all of the lads, knowing that there's a new manager coming in and wanting to keep your spot," he said. 

"That's something that especially the younger lads will be pushing towards. 

"It's going to be difficult because of the quality and experience in some of the lads that aren't here is massive.

"It'll be difficult, but it'll be something that I'll focus on week in and week out for Southampton and if I get minutes here."