Tom Cleverley handed late England call as he makes Everton move

England boss Roy Hodgson has handed a shock late recall to midfielder Tom Cleverley, with the free agent to join Everton for next season, after Tottenham counterpart Ryan Mason injured himself in training.

Cleverley is now on the national roster for an end of season friendly away to the Republic of Ireland in Dublin and the Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia. The Three Lions are 11/10 favourites with Coral to win in the Aviva Stadium on Sunday, June 7th.

Aston Villa have missed out on Cleverley’s signature on a permanent basis, as he has passed a medical and penned a five-year contract at Goodison Park instead. His Manchester United deal is up this summer.

Capped 13 times by his country, the 25-year-old last turned out for England in the 1-0 loss to Germany in an end of year friendly in 2013.

A loss of form resulted in Hodgson dropping Cleverley from contention, but his rejuvenation at Villa under Tim Sherwood, who steered Villa to the FA Cup final, has resulted in an international recall.

Widely criticised for a complete lack of end product, Cleverley scored three goals in as many matches to help the West Midlands outfit stave off relegation.

Southampton, who will play in next season’s Europa League, were also rumoured to have expressed interest in Cleverley, but he has chosen to link up with the Toffees and manager Roberto Martinez again. Player and coach worked together at Wigan Athletic where Cleverley earned rave reviews on loan.

Hodgson, meanwhile, has named an experimental Three Lions squad for these fixtures, handing maiden senior call-ups to Burnley goalie Tom Heaton, Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy and QPR striker Charlie Austin.

Cleverley must compete with new clubmate Ross Barkley, now former Villa teammate Fabian Delph, Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson and Jack Wilshere of Arsenal for a starting spot against the Irish.