ENGLAND boss Gareth Southgate insisted Callum Wilson had "earned the right" to his first senior England call-up.

The Cherries striker has been rewarded for a stellar start to the campaign with a spot in Southgate’s 28-man group for clashes with the United States and Croatia at Wembley Stadium next week.

No Englishman has scored more goals in the Premier League this season than the 26-year-old, who has recovered from two serious knee injuries while at the Dorset club.

Discussing Wilson's call-up, Southgate said: "Part of being a footballer is showing resilience and that would be commonplace among the squad.

"He has had that but he has got back to a really good level. He has been a key part of Bournemouth's start to the season so he has earned the right to a call-up.

"Callum is a striker we worked with briefly in the under-21s so we know plenty about him.

"He's a threat in terms of running in behind defences and he's been involved in a high number of goals this season.

"It's a good opportunity for us to have a look at him in training, to see how he fits in to what we do and for him to get a feel for working with the senior team."

The USA game a week today is a friendly which will double as a farewell appearance for ex-Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.

And the visit of Croatia, due to take place three days later, is a UEFA Nations League fixture.

Should he get on the pitch, Wilson would become the second serving Cherries player to represent England at senior level, following in the footsteps of Lewis Cook who made his debut in a 1-1 draw against Italy in March.

Signed from Coventry City in July 2014, Wilson had been hotly tipped for inclusion following a flying start to the campaign which saw him net seven times in 13 appearances.

He scored his 50th goal for Cherries in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United and was subsequently linked with a move to big guns Chelsea.

The former England under-21 international has struck six times in the top flight this season, a tally which places him alongside Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Glenn Murray.