OFFICIAL: Five Manchester City players called up to England squad for World Cup Qualifiers

England manager Gareth Southgate called up on Thursday 26 players to represent the Three Lions in their last two World Cup Qualifiers against Slovenia (October 5) and Lithuania (October 8), and five Blues are in the list.

This is the full squad:

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Fraser Forster, Joe Hart, Jordan Pickford

Defenders: Ryan Bertrand, Gary Cahill, Aaron Cresswell, Phil Jones, Michael Keane, Harry Maguire, Chris Smalling, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker

Midfielders: Dele Alli, Fabian Delph, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Jesse Lingard, Jake Livermore, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Forwards: Jermain Defoe, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge

Four Manchester City first team players plus loanee Joe Hart are part of the list, and perhaps the best piece of news is the return of Fabian Delph, who became a forgotten man for the national team but deservedly receives a call-up thanks to his rejuvenated career as a left-back for City this season. Delph will probably be a midfielder for England, but the fact he’s back with the national team is a testament to his work ethic and talent.

England are already guaranteed a top-two finish in their group and can clinch an automatic qualification to Russia with a win in one of the two matches.