JAMES Ward-Prowse has been called up to the England squad for the first time since June and could take part in World Cup qualifiers this weekend.

Gareth Southgate has drafted the Saints midfielder into the team to replace injured Kalvin Phillips, with the Leeds midfielder potentially missing the visit to Saints on Saturday 16 October too.

The Three Lions are due to play Andorra away on Saturday, October 9, before welcoming Hungary to Wembley Stadium on Tuesday, October 12.

Ward-Prowse, 26, was initially absent from the squad announced by Southgate at the end of September, making it three consecutive squads where he had missed the mark.

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His last appearances both came in 1-0 wins over Romania and Austria during the European Championship warm-ups, as part of the preliminary squad - but he missed out on the major tournament.

Southgate's side went on to reach a first major international final since 1966, only adding to the heartbreak of so narrowly missing out.

The midfielder will receive the welcome tonic after his red card at Chelsea on Saturday, for a sliding challenge on substitute Jorginho, meaning his run of 102 consecutive Premier League appearances will come to an end.

Although, he had netted an equaliser from the spot for his second penalty goal this season. The first came in the 96th minute to snatch a point at Newcastle on Bank Holiday August.

Daily Echo: James Ward-Prowse scored from the spot at Chelsea on Saturday (Pic: PA)James Ward-Prowse scored from the spot at Chelsea on Saturday (Pic: PA)

Portsmouth-born Ward-Prowse has played eight times for his country on the senior stage, scoring his only international goal against San Marino.

These appearances came after featuring a massive 31 times for the under-21 squad, netting on six occasions.

He earned his senior England debut alongside teammate Nathan Redmond, appearing from the bench in a 1-0 defeat away to Germany in March 2019.

His first start followed during a 1-0 win in Iceland on September 5 2020.

Thanks to a backlog of games caused by Covid-19 disruption, there is another international break in November – where England will face Albania and San Marino.

They will be the final qualification games for Qatar 2022, which will take place next winter.