Bournemouth defender James Hill has earned his first England call-up, the Football Association said on Tuesday. The 24-year-old centre-back joins Thomas Tuchel's squad for two Nations League games. England host Croatia at Wembley on Thursday. They then face world champions Spain in Madrid on Sunday.
England were short at centre-back. Arsenal's Ezri Konsa will miss the Croatia game because he is following his own fitness programme. The FA said he will return to full training later this week and should be fit for Spain. BBC Sport reported that Konsa came off with a knee injury in a Champions League win at Slavia Prague on Wednesday. He then played the full 90 minutes against Hull on Saturday.
Marc Guehi has also pulled out. SuperSport said he was hurt in Manchester City's Premier League defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. BBC Sport described it as a hip injury. Newcastle defender Dan Burn was called up to replace him. Hill will compete with Burn, Jarell Quansah and Jarrad Branthwaite for a place in central defence, SuperSport reported.
Hill has risen fast this season. SuperSport said he has played 15 times for Bournemouth. According to BBC Sport, he has played every minute of their Premier League season. He has also featured in every game of their first Europa League campaign. In its statement, the FA noted that Hill has represented England at under-20 and under-21 level.
His path to the top was slow. Hill joined Bournemouth from Fleetwood in January 2022 for an undisclosed fee. He made only 24 appearances in his first three and a half years at the club, BBC Sport reported. He became a regular last season, when Bournemouth finished sixth, their best top-flight finish.
Bournemouth are on an eight-match winning run in all competitions and sit seventh in the Premier League. Hill could now win his first senior cap against Slaven Bilic's Croatia or against Spain.