Senior experience bolsters Pearce's U21 pick

England manager Stuart Pearce has named senior internationals Theo Walcott, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Micah Richards and Joe Hart in his 23-man squad for next month's UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals in Sweden.

Newcomers
Arsenal FC forward Walcott will link up with the squad following England's FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra on 6 and 10 June, giving Pearce a quartet of players capped at senior level. Two veterans of the U21 team's run to the 2007 semi-finals are also involved – Steven Taylor and James Milner, the latter having appeared 42 times at this level. There are call-ups for new boys Andrew Driver and James Tomkins as well as for teenagers Kieran Gibbs, Jack Rodwell and Daniel Welbeck, the last of whom helped England reach the U17 final two years ago. The injured Tom Huddlestone, Jamie O'Hara, David Wheater, Matt Derbyshire and Aaron Lennon miss out.

Pearce pleased
"We are very pleased with the overall balance of the squad," Pearce told TheFA.com. "We have three or four players who are extremely versatile and can play in a number of positions. We also have a young squad with players such as [Fabrice] Muamba, [Lee] Cattermole, Gibbs, Welbeck and Rodwell being available for the next campaign, so this experience will be vital for them." Pearce's side face Finland, Spain and Germany in Group B, but first have a training camp in Spain before their 8 June friendly against Azerbaijan in Milton Keynes. "I have every confidence in this squad. We are really looking forward to competing with the best Under-21 teams in Europe, and hopefully doing our country proud," Pearce added. The tournament runs from 15 to 29 June.

England squad
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City FC), Joe Lewis (Peterborough United FC), Scott Loach (Watford FC).

Defenders: Martin Cranie (Portsmouth FC), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal FC), Michael Mancienne (Chelsea FC), Nedum Onuoha (Manchester City FC), Micah Richards (Manchester City FC), Andrew Taylor (Middlesbrough FC), Steven Taylor (Newcastle United FC), James Tomkins (West Ham United FC).

Midfielders: Lee Cattermole (Wigan Athletic FC), Andrew Driver (Heart of Midlothian FC), Craig Gardner (Aston Villa FC), Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough FC), James Milner (Aston Villa FC), Fabrice Muamba (Bolton Wanderers FC), Mark Noble (West Ham United FC), Jack Rodwell (Everton FC).

Forwards: Theo Walcott (Arsenal FC) Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa FC), Frazier Campbell (Manchester United FC), Daniel Welbeck (Manchester United FC).