Patrick Bamford to make England debut against Andorra

Patrick Bamford will make his England debut when the Three Lions take on Andorra on Sunday night.

The Leeds United striker was named in Gareth Southgate's squad for the set of World Cup 2022 qualifiers, but he was an unused substitute in the 4-0 victory in Hungary on Thursday evening.

Bamford will get his chance to shine in an England shirt on Sunday, though, starting up front against the European minnows.

Southgate has also spoken about the possibility of Bamford earning his first cap, acknowledging that it's a 'special moment for him and his family', while encouraging the forward to make the most of his opportunity.

"It's a special moment for him and for his family. You always think about people that have helped you on that journey," Southgate said, as quoted by the Athletic.

"We want him to do what he does every week with his club. He has settled in really well with the group, he hasn't had a huge amount of time to be able to train with us yet but I think he's got a really clear picture of how we like to play.

"We just want him to go and enjoy his football. It's an opportunity and he shouldn't put any more pressure on himself than that. We know what he's capable of and we're looking forward to seeing him play."

The Leeds striker's call up comes off the back of an excellent first season in the Premier League, when he bagged 17 goals and provided eight assists.

Many had questioned whether Bamford would cut it in the top-flight, but he has answered those critics in style and is now ready to write another chapter of his career at international level. There were calls for the former Chelsea man to be included in the Euro 2020 squad over the summer, after outscoring the majority of Premier League strikers.

Southgate opted not to include Bamford in his squad, but he has decided to give him his chance after another decent start to the new campaign. The striker has scored once and laid on one assist in Leeds' opening three matches, as they begin their second campaign back in the Premier League.

Bamford joins Leeds teammate Kalvin Phillips in the England squad, and he'll be hoping to take to international football as easily as the midfielder. Phillips has only been an England international for 12 months, but his performances over the season and at Euro 2020 saw him voted as England's Player of the Year for the 2020/21 campaign.