England boss Gareth Southgate: 'Fabian Delph will provide competition'

England boss Gareth Southgate has heaped praise on Manchester City's Fabian Delph after handing the midfielder a recall to the Three Lions squad.

The 27-year-old is in contention for the World Cup qualifiers with Slovenia and Lithuania after recently making four appearances for City in all competitions.

Delph has not featured for England since November 2015, but Southgate has tipped the former Aston Villa man to make an impact after being given another opportunity at international level.

The 47-year-old told reporters: "Fabian Delph is a really good player. He was very important for a period under Roy Hodgson and he has had injury issues.

"He has forced himself back into the Manchester City side and played well. We have a situation in midfield where we need more competition and more alternative. He can provide that."

Delph has made a total of nine appearances for his country since being handed his debut in 2014.