Pearce's England 'state intent'

Walcott included
Several players who have featured in Fabio Capello's senior set-up will return to the U21s, including Micah Richards, David Wheater, Tom Huddlestone and Gabriel Agbonlahor, while Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon both travelled to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Pearce is looking for a confident performance from his side before they tackle Portugal at Wembley on 5 September, when a home win in front of what promises to be a record crowd for an U21 game in Europe would guarantee England's presence in the play-offs for next summer's final tournament in Sweden.

'Vibrant place'
Pearce said: "It is a very strong squad and it's a sign of our intent for the season coming up not just for the U21s, but the seniors as well. I'm looking forward to playing at Hull. I had a trial with the club when I was 17 and played for the reserves. The city will be a vibrant place at the moment with the Premier League season about to kick off and we'd like to see a big crowd turn out to see the U21s."

England squad
Goalkeepers: Tom Heaton (Cardiff City FC), Joe Lewis (Peterborough United FC).

Defenders: Martin Cranie (Portsmouth FC), Craig Gardner (Aston Villa FC), Michael Mancienne (Chelsea FC), Nedum Onuoha (Manchester City FC), Micah Richards (Manchester City FC), Andrew Taylor (Middlesbrough FC), Steven Taylor (Newcastle United FC), David Wheater (Middlesbrough FC).

Midfielders: Lee Cattermole (Wigan Athletic FC), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Adam Johnson (Middlesbrough FC), Michael Johnson (Manchester City FC), Michael Kightly (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur FC), James Milner (Newcastle United FC), Fabrice Muamba (Bolton Wanderers FC), Mark Noble (West Ham United FC), Jamie O'Hara (Tottenham Hotspur FC).

Forwards: Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa FC), Fraizer Campbell (Manchester United FC), Matt Derbyshire (Blackburn Rovers FC), Theo Walcott (Arsenal FC).