Campbell, Richards make England squad

Sunderland striker Fraizer Campbell is a shock call-up in Stuart Pearce's England squad to face the Netherlands at Wembley next Wednesday. It is a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for Campbell, who has suffered so many injuries during his time on Wearside. The former Manchester United man now joins Wayne Rooney, Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge as the forwards in a youthful 25-man squad that also includes Manchester City defender Micah Richards. The continued exclusion of Richards throughout his four-year tenure was one of the more remarkable aspects of Fabio Cappello's reign. Pearce has wasted no time in bringing the City man back into the fold, although with Kyle Walker and Glen Johnson also included it is not known exactly how he fits into the plans. Neither Rio Ferdinand nor Frank Lampard have been selected, although the presence of Steven Gerrard suggests the Liverpool man will gain the captain's armband, which was stripped from John Terry earlier this month. The ramifications of that led to Capello leaving and the likelihood remains Harry Redknapp with eventually replace him However, Pearce has been given free rein to select the players he wants. In addition to Campbell, the only other uncapped member of his squad is Manchester United's Tom Cleverly, although he was selected for the squad to play the Dutch in August, a match which was postponed, and the subsequent UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers with Bulgaria and Wales.