England interim coach Lee Carsley has insisted that Harry Maguire still has "a really important part to play" for his country, despite the centre-half being dropped from the latest squad.
Maguire, 31, returned to Carsley's first squad in September after missing out on the European Championship through injury but has not been selected for this month’s Nations League games against Greece and Finland.
John Stones, Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa made the cut again, along with Chelsea's Levi Colwill who play play centre-half or at left-back.
Maguire has been in and out of the Manchester United side this season, but asked if he was still part of his plans Carsley was unequivocal.
“Yeah, definitely," Carsley said on Thursday. “Harry's a player I've worked with in the past. He was really positive in the conversation we had.
“I'm wary of having those conversations and them going on too long because obviously he's got a game tonight, so it was a case of talking to him about my decision was.
“Obviously we've got some really good centre-backs that I'm keen to see play and I'm wary about bringing players away that are really experienced and potentially aren't going to play much.
“But Harry's got a really important part to play not only in this squad but in the rest of the [Nations League] campaign.”
West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen, Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers and Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze also dropped out, while Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham have returned after missing last month's games through injury. Manchester City veteran Kyle Walker has also been recalled.
There was also a first call-up since 2017 for Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke, who was consistently overlooked by Carsley's predecessor, Gareth Southgate.
“Dom's a player I'm fully aware of, having worked with him in the past," Carsley said.
“Dom was really close to being in the alst squad, obviously he got injured just before selection. A player that's done so well at Bournemouth and now he's taken that form into Spurs.
“He's got a lot of really good attributes that I really like as well as being a really nice person. He's extremely talented and it's good that we've got him.”
England host Greece at Wembley next Thursday before travelling to Finland, with Carsley aiming to build on the impressive wins over the Republic of Ireland and the Fins last month.
Carsley, who has stepped up from managing England's Under-21s, is expected to lead the team throughout the autumn while the FA continue the search for a permanent boss but the former Everton midfielder is expected to be a contender, particularly if results and performances remain positive.
“It's really clear what my remit is: to take these three camps in the Europa League. My situation hasn't changed,” he said. “I'm fully aware of my situation and comfortable with it.”
