Gareth Southgate says it's the right time to look at more young players in his squad

England manager Gareth Southgate believes providing a chance for young players to impress in his squad is the right thing to do.

The Three Lions boss named a 25-man squad for this month’s Nations League games with Croatia and Spain on Thursday afternoon, with three new players selected.

U21s pair James Maddison and Mason Mount were both promoted, as well as Borussia Dortmund forward Jadon Sancho who featured for the U19s last month.

There was also a return to the group for midfield trio Nathaniel Chalobah, Ross Barkley and Harry Winks, with all three of those players having seen injuries disrupt their appearances over the last year.

“It’s something we’ve done for the last 18 months really and we’ve got a few injuries in midfield in particular with Dele, Jesse, Fabian Delph and Ruben missing,” explained Southgate.

“So there is an opportunity there and we had a decision on how we want to use that opportunity.

“We think there are some exciting young players, who we have been tracking through their clubs and also our junior teams, and it’s a great opportunity for us to look at them.

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Mason Mount has been impressive throughout his time with England's development teams

“We are always conscious of the balance of how quickly we put those young players in, so we don’t raise expectation or be detrimental to their development.

“But we think they’re performing well with their clubs, they’re confident players and we’d like to work with them now so they get an understanding of how we work and we get a closer look at them so we’re excited to see them.”

The promotion of former Watford and Manchester City forward Sancho perhaps captures the imagination most, with the 18-year-old catching the eye in the Bundesliga this term and also having impressed for England in various development teams over the last few seasons.

“Jadon is an unusual story for a young English player, he’s been brave enough to go abroad and play,” added Southgate.

“He’s played two Champions League games for Dortmund and has had a big impact in their league matches from the bench.

“He’s playing at a big club in front of big support every week, with the psychological strength to deal with that and excel.”

And after an exceptional debut for the U21s in their win over Latvia last month, when he provided an assist and scored the winner, Mount has proved that exceptional performances can provide momentum for a senior call.

“Mason is slightly different [to Sancho], but he was at Vitesse last season so he’s had a year of men’s football and this season in the Championship he’s created more chances than any other player in the league,” said Southgate.

“He’s a player who trained with us before the World Cup and they’re both in their formative stages but we think they can have an impact within the group and we would have no hesitation in playing them in the games.”

While both of this month’s games are on the road, tickets are on sale for next month’s games with USA and Croatia at Wembley Stadium.