Chelsea teenager "shocked" after receiving his first call in England

Late arrival

Callum Hudson-Odoi revealed that he could not believe he had received his first call in England, but was determined to have a positive impact on Gareth Southgate.

The Chelsea teenager was preparing to make his debut in international under-21 football with Aidy Boothroyd's players when the call from his boss, Southgate, arrived.

Luke Shaw became the fourth player to leave the England team, which means Hudson-Odoi was added at the last minute.

Aged 18, he was in Bristol with the under-21s and had to travel directly to St Geroge's Park to join the Southgate team ahead of his Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Montenegro.

Hudson-Odoi was part of the team that won the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 and the Chelsea winger has been attracting strong interest from Bayern Munich.

He has not yet started a Premier League game for Chelsea, but Southgate has seen enough to give him the opportunity to play at the senior international level.

"It's a crazy day, but receiving my first international (senior) application is an incredible feeling," said the 18-year-old.

"The day was very long for me, because I had to go to Bristol first for under 21, and then I said I had to come here to St George's Park.

"It's a crazy experience but I'm delighted to receive the call and it's a nice feeling to be here.

"I thought the manager was joking. I was shocked and when I learned that I really had to go, I had a hard time believing it. I was delighted.

"It's a dream come true. Now, I have to work hard, enjoy every moment and continue working to hope to make an impact when I have the opportunity.

"Everyone is very humble and very kind. They make sure you are comfortable, no one has ego here, so I hope to learn more about boys. "

Hudson-Odoi was the team's second new rookie after Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse joined the Three Lions earlier in the day.

There was some surprise about his omission in the 25-man squad named last week and Southgate was not reluctant to turn to his former captain, under 21, after Fabian Delph, John Stones and Ruben Loftus-Cheek withdrew.