Injured Barkley and Delph picked over Grealish in England squad

Gareth Southgate has included crocked Ross Barkley and Fabian Delph in his 25-man England squad for upcoming internationals against Montenegro and Kosovo, the Football Association has announced.

Barkley has missed Chelsea's last five matches in all competitions with an ankle injury and remains a doubt for this weekend's encounter with Crystal Palace, while Delph aggrevated a hamstring problem against Tottenham on Sunday.

Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish was understood to be in the running to make Southgate's squad after hitting his best form last month, even claiming the WhoScored October player of the month award in the Premier League.  

The 24-year-old missed Villa's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool last weekend with a lower leg injury but has since returned to training and was tipped to earn his first England call-up as a result of his eye-catching displays over the last month.

Despite missing out on Southgate's original squad, Grealish will be drafted in if any midfielders suffer injuries over the weekend.

Given the doubts surrounding the fitness of Barkley and Delph at the moment, there is a good chance Grealish will join up with England squad next week.

Michael Keane has been dropped by Southgate after a tough month for the Everton centre-back, but Leicester creator James Maddison has made the cut.

Maddison was criticised during the last international break after being pictured in a casino following his withdrawal from the England squad through illness.

Maddison is not the only player gunning for his first England cap over the next fortnight, with Chelsea youngster Fikayo Tomori rewarded with a spot in Southgate's squad following his impressive start to the season.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is back in the squad following his eye-catching displays for Liverpool in recent weeks, while there is also a place for Chelsea starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was only with the Under-21s in the last international break.

There is no place in the squad for Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Kyle Walker, but Manchester City defender John Stones returns to the fold after recovering from injury.

Grealish's omission is, however, most notable. The Villa ace has played a direct hand in seven goals in his last nine appearances in all competitions, while he is also the most fouled player in the Premier League (41).