Salford Reds duo Niall Evalds and Dan Sarginson have been selected in Shaun Wane’s first England squad since he became coach of the national side.
Evalds and Sarginson, both 26, will attend an Old Trafford get-together later this month as England ramp up their preparations for the Ashes series against Australia at the end of this year.
The pair are surprise call-ups for the squad due to Evalds being totally uncapped while Sarginson picked up just three England caps between 2014 and 2016.
Wane has suggested the players involved in this 31-man squad all have a genuine chance of making the squad for the Ashes in November.
However, he also warned that there is still a long time to go before England take on their oldest rugby league enemy.
He said: “It’s too early to be selecting Ashes squads – a lot can happen between now and the end of the season – but I’ve invited a group of players who are uppermost in my thoughts right now.
“I want to tell them that face-to-face and share with them my plans for the rest of the year.
“There are some very talented players, both in Super League and the NRL, and I’ll be monitoring their progress, week in, week out.
“I’m very excited about the prospect of working with them and the players who most impress will be the ones selected for the Ashes series.
“I realise that there are some notable exceptions at this stage, and I would say to those players is that this isn’t the squad, the door is never closed and outstanding form will be rewarded.”
Evalds has played 146 Super League matches for the Red Devils since his debut in 2013 whilst Sarginson, born in Perth, joined Salford City ahead of the 2020 season.
The Ashes is set to take place from in the Autumn of this year with England hosting Australia in a three-match series.
The first match will be held in Bolton on October 31, the second in Leeds on November 7 and the final match at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium on November 14.
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