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Boro's Ben Gibson today joined in his first full training session with the England Under- 21 squad after a surprise call-up.

The central defender was lounging in the sun on a family holiday in Portugal when he got the call from manager Gareth Southgate.

The former Boro boss told shocked Gibson he was pencilled in for his debut at this level when England play Wales in Swansea on Monday and for the four-game trip to the prestigious Toulon Tournament in France next week.

Gibson, previously capped at Under-17 and Under-18 level, immediately flew home to Teesside to collect his boots then yesterday arrived at the FA’s base at St George’s Park in Burton.

After Monday’s clash in Wales the squad fly to Toulon for a busy schedule of four games in eight games. They play Qatar next Thursday, Brazil on Monday May 26, South Korea on Wednesday, May 28 then finish against Colombia on Friday, May 30.

Meanwhile Boro duo Dael Fry and Callum Cooke both played as England lost their 100% start in the Under-17 European Championships finals. England lost 2-0 to Holland in their final group game in Malta but had already qualified for the knockout phase.

They will now face Portugal in the semi-final on Sunday.

Elsewhere fit-again frontman Kei Kamara was due to arrive in Swaziland with the Sierra Leone squad today for Sunday’s African Cup of Nation pre-qualifier.

The winners over two legs will then play either Gambia or Seychelles for a place in a tough looking Group D alongside Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.