Cranie to Represent Country

Portsmouth defender Martin Cranie has been called up to the England under-21 squad for the friendly against Slovenia next week.

The 21-year-old already has six England caps at under-21 level and will hope to make it seven next Tuesday.]

The game will be played at Hull City’s KC Stadium and will kick off at 7.45pm.

Cranie’s last appearance came in a 2-0 victory against Wales back in May at Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground. He lasted the full 90 minutes and has recently impressed under-21 manager Stuart Pearce.

Pearce said, “It’s a strong squad and it’s a sign of our intent for the season coming up, not just for the under-21s but the seniors as well.”

The rest of the squad includes:

Goalkeepers: Heaton (Cardiff City), Lewis (Peterborough)

Defenders: Cranie (POMPEY), Gardner (Aston Villa), Mancienne (Chelsea), Onuoha (Man City), Richards (Man City), Taylor (Middlesbrough), Taylor (Newcastle), Wheater (Middlesbrough)

Midfielders: Cattermole (Wigan), Huddlestone (Tottenham), Johnson (Middlesbrough), Johnson (Man City), Kightly (Wolves), Lennon (Tottenham), Milner (Newcastle), Muamba (Bolton), Noble (West Ham), O’Hara (Tottenham)

Attackers: Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Campbell (Man Utd), Derbyshire (Blackburn), Walcott (Arsenal)