McClaren recalls defensive duo

Veteran duo David James and Sol Campbell have both being handed England recalls by Steve McClaren ahead of next week's friendly…

Veteran duo David James and Sol Campbell have both being handed England recalls by Steve McClaren ahead of next week's friendly with Germany at Wembley.

The Portsmouth pair, who have not featured for their country since the 2006 World Cup, were among a massive 28-strong party confirmed by McClaren this afternoon.

Uncapped Newcastle youngster Steven Taylor was also selected, as was Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, even though he will not play after fracturing a toe in Toulouse this week.

However there was no place for Blackburn's David Bentley, with McClaren confirming his omission was a direct result of his refusal to play for the Under-21s side at this summer's Uefa Under-21s European Championships.

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At the time, Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce was furious with Bentley because his withdrawal came so late it left him unable to bring in a replacement.

Although the anger directed towards the former Arsenal wide man has now subsided, McClaren telephoned him this morning to explain the reasons behind his omission, although he made it clear the punishment was for one game only.

"I spoke to David today and explained my decisions for leaving him out of the squad this time," McClaren told www.thefa.com. "This followed a conversation I had with him before he made his decision to withdraw from the European Under-21 Championships in Holland.

"I made it clear today that I was disappointed with his decision not to travel to the tournament with his team-mates. That is why he was left out of today's squad for the Germany game.

"As far as I am concerned, that is the end of the matter.

"It is up to David now to work hard to be included for the future qualifying matches. He is a player with a lot of ability who did very well for the B team against Albania at Burnley in May.

"I have told him I will be keeping a close eye on his form before naming the squads for the autumn fixtures."

Gerrard, meanwhile, will have his fitness assessed by England's medical staff in conjunction with their Liverpool counterparts.

While Gerrard will report for duty, it seems highly unlikely the midfielder will play any part.

However, McClaren would like his vice-captain to join up to be part of the planned debrief to cover the positive aspects of a summer programme which revived hopes of a successful end to the Euro 2008 qualification campaign.

The same is also true of skipper John Terry, Owen Hargreaves and Michael Owen, none of whom have played for their club sides so far this season, while David Beckham is expected to make the journey after completing his first full 90 minutes for LA Galaxy in midweek.

England squad: Robinson(Tottenham), James (Portsmouth), Carson (Liverpool, on loan at Aston Villa), Richards (Manchester City), Brown (Manchester United), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Terry (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Campbell (Portsmouth), Taylor (Newcastle), Neville (Everton), Shorey (Reading), Beckham, Gerrard (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Carrick (Manchester United), Barry (Aston Villa), Downing (Middlesbrough), Dyer (West Ham), Hargreaves (Manchester United), Smith (Newcastle), Owen (Newcastle), Crouch (Liverpool), Bent (Tottenham), Johnson (Everton), Defoe (Tottenham).