Jobe Bellingham called up to Eng U21 after helping Sunderland top Championship

Jobe Bellingham has earned a call-up to the England Under-21 squad as the Sunderland star emulates superstar brother Jude in making his way up the age-group sides.

The attacking midfielder, 19, has been instrumental in the Black Cats' surprising surge to the summit of the Championship table, starting all but one match and scoring twice.

Bellingham, who has represented England at every age group from under-16 to under-20, will be in contention to feature in games against Spain and the Netherlands.

Another new name in the 24-man line-up is 18-year-old Southampton midfielder Tyler Dibling, who has been earning rave reviews for his performances in the Premier League this season.

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite returns to the under-21 level after being left out of the senior squad for Euro 2024 this summer.

England will travel to Cadiz to take on Spain on November 15 before facing the Netherlands in Almere on November 18.

The Three Lions have already qualified for next summer's European Championship finals and are set to play their final matches under interim head coach Ben Futcher before Lee Carsley resumes the role.

Sunderland are two points clear at the top of the Championship after winning nine and drawing three of their opening 14 games.

While things are looking up for Jobe, events of late have been less kind to his older brother Jude.

The 21-year-old was caught on television cameras swearing during Real Madrid's 3-1 Champions League loss to AC Milan on Tuesday and, according to Sport, it was aimed at Slovenian referee Slavko Vincic.

The disappointing loss came after Los Blancos succumbed to a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Barcelona in El Clasico last month and Bellingham appears to be increasingly frustrated with his teammates, including France's Kylian Mbappe.