England call up Fulham goalkeeper Bettinelli after Lallana injury

Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli has been called up to the England squad ahead of the matches against Spain and Switzerland, the Football Association has announced.

The 26-year-old, who made his Premier League debut against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, was told the news before Tuesday's training session.

Gareth Southgate has followed Bettinelli's development in west London and knows him from his time as Under-21 manager, for whom the goalkeeper has one cap.

Bettinelli will report to St James's Park later on Tuesday and joins fellow goalkeepers Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland and Alex McCarthy in the squad.

Pickford, the World Cup No 1, is expected to start for Saturday's Nations League match against Spain, but Southgate may hand the other shot-stoppers a chance to impress in next week's friendly against Switzerland.

News of Bettinelli's call-up follows the withdrawal of Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana, who had hoped to reestablish himself in the squad after missing the World Cup through injury. The 30-year-old suffered a groin injury on Tuesday and will return to his club.

Never heard of England's new goalkeeper? Sportsmail takes a look at the Fulham star in detail...

What has he done so far?

Bettinelli has been a late bloomer by today's standards and will be 27 by the time the current season ends. He has 180 senior appearances to his name, 83 of which came during loan spells with Conference side Dartford (2012-13) and League Two's Accrington Stanley (2013-14).

He became Fulham's No 1 goalkeeper in 2014-15 and started 39 Championship games but was then ousted by Andy Lonergan for the next campaign. He remained at Craven Cottage as a reserve goalkeeper until finding himself back in favour in their promotion campaign last season.

What's his background?

As his surname suggests, Bettinelli has Italian roots through his father but is very much a London lad. He was born in the south London district of Camberwell.

His dad, Vic, was a handy player himself before injury brought a premature end to his career. He has since qualified as a goalkeeping coach and has worked for Crystal Palace, Crawley and currently works at Fulham with the Under 18s.

How did he catch Gareth Southgate's eye?

Southgate worked with the goalkeeper during his time as manager of England's Under-21s side. He handed him his one and only cap for the Young Lions in 2015, but was more impressed with his work around the training ground. Bettinelli has developed a lot since then and it appears Southgate has been watching closely.