Tottenham Hotspur defender Ledley King, whose career has been threatened by a debilitating knee injury, earned a surprise call-up to the England squad for the forthcoming games against Slovakia and Ukraine.
Three Lions boss Fabio Capello also named Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster, Everton defender Leighton Baines and King's Spurs team-mate Aaron Lennon in the 24-man squad.
Many believe that King would have amassed a lot more than his 19 caps to date had it not been for his horrific knee problems.
King has not represented England for almost two years as his career, both at club and international level, has been halted by a long-term knee problems, which prevents the 28-year-old from training and rarely allows him to feature more than once a week.
However, he has been outstanding recently and Capello, who was at White Hart Lane on Saturday to witness Spurs’ 1-0 win over Chelsea, could not have failed to be impressed.
Meanwhile uncapped left-back Baines comes in for injured Wayne Bridge, who is the usual England deputy for Ashley Cole.
The former Wigan man has been watched closely by Capello recently and he received a reward for his impressive performances with a call-up to the senior squad.
As expected, Foster, who has one England cap to his name, was called-up as reward for his Carling Cup final heroics earlier this month.
The inclusion of Lennon, who last week signed a new contract at White Hart Lane, is not a great surprise as he has the chance to start one of the two matches with Arsenal winger Theo Walcott left out due to injury.
David Beckham retains his place following some good displays for AC Milan and the player on 108 caps in total has the chance to make his 100th start for England, having begun 99 so far.
England face Slovakia in a friendly at Wembley on Saturday March 28 before they host Ukraine on Wednesday April 1 in a World Cup qualifier.
England Squad:
Goalkeepers: Ben Foster (Manchester United), Robert Green (West Ham United), David James (Portsmouth)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), Joleon Lescott (Everton), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), David Beckham (AC Milan), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards: Carlton Cole (West Ham United), Peter Crouch (Portsmouth), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
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Three Lions boss Fabio Capello also named Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster, Everton defender Leighton Baines and King's Spurs team-mate Aaron Lennon in the 24-man squad.
Many believe that King would have amassed a lot more than his 19 caps to date had it not been for his horrific knee problems.
King has not represented England for almost two years as his career, both at club and international level, has been halted by a long-term knee problems, which prevents the 28-year-old from training and rarely allows him to feature more than once a week.
However, he has been outstanding recently and Capello, who was at White Hart Lane on Saturday to witness Spurs’ 1-0 win over Chelsea, could not have failed to be impressed.
Meanwhile uncapped left-back Baines comes in for injured Wayne Bridge, who is the usual England deputy for Ashley Cole.
The former Wigan man has been watched closely by Capello recently and he received a reward for his impressive performances with a call-up to the senior squad.
As expected, Foster, who has one England cap to his name, was called-up as reward for his Carling Cup final heroics earlier this month.
The inclusion of Lennon, who last week signed a new contract at White Hart Lane, is not a great surprise as he has the chance to start one of the two matches with Arsenal winger Theo Walcott left out due to injury.
David Beckham retains his place following some good displays for AC Milan and the player on 108 caps in total has the chance to make his 100th start for England, having begun 99 so far.
England face Slovakia in a friendly at Wembley on Saturday March 28 before they host Ukraine on Wednesday April 1 in a World Cup qualifier.
England Squad:
Goalkeepers: Ben Foster (Manchester United), Robert Green (West Ham United), David James (Portsmouth)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), Joleon Lescott (Everton), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), David Beckham (AC Milan), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards: Carlton Cole (West Ham United), Peter Crouch (Portsmouth), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
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