Conor Gallagher receives his first call-up amid England’s string of withdrawals | England

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Conor Gallagher has received his first England call-up after a great start to the season, but Gareth Southgate will be without Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Jordan Henderson and Jack Grealish as his side looks to qualify for the 2022 World Cup against San Marino on Monday.

England are almost certain to qualify for Qatar after their 5-0 win over Albania – they only need a point from the Group A qualifiers – but they will travel to San Marino without a group of influential players. Mount has not recovered from dental surgery, Shaw suffers a concussion, Henderson and Grealish leave camp after suffering traumas, and Sterling leaves to deal with a personal problem.

Southgate is likely to make changes against San Marino, although a host of withdrawals will make the alternation difficult. Marcus Rashford and Declan Rice withdrew from the squad before the win over Albania.

The absentee list allowed Southgate to add more youngsters to his squad. Emile Smith Rowe was promoted from the Under-21 squad last week and Gallagher followed in the Arsenal midfielder’s footsteps.

Gallagher, who saw Smith Rowe make his debut as a substitute against Albania, has been on Southgate’s radar after impressing him since joining Crystal Palace on loan from Chelsea. The 21-year-old midfielder has scored four goals and two goals for Palace this season.

Gallagher has also done well for England at the Under-21 level. His rise will underline the importance of young players representing the Under-21s.

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