Gareth Southgate sprung a surprise in his latest England squad announcement for the upcoming international fixtures against Croatia and Spain. 

On loan Derby County midfielder Mason Mount has been included in the Three Lions squad, alongside fellow youngsters James Maddison and Jadon Sancho.

They are three of six uncapped players that have been named in the squad for the UEFA Nations League matches.

Mount, 19, has been in excellent form for Frank Lampard's Derby side, finding the back of the net three times and assisting once so far this season.

The Chelsea loanee has been directly involved in 17 league goals in his last 18 appearances across both the Championship and the Dutch Eredivisie where he represented Vitesse and helped them finish 6th in the Dutch top-flight.

Mount's call-up may come as a surprise to some, but we're going to look at three reasons as to why the youngster's call-up is fully justified by Gareth Southgate.

Find out those reasons here...

With Mount having the most shots per game and most key passes per game in the Derby side this season, the statistics don't lie with the influence and confidence this man holds on the Derby side.

If he can take this form into representing his country, then England are going to have some player on their hands at future tournaments.

Mount offers the creative spark that has been missing in the England squad for some time, even at the World Cup the squad looked occasionally short of ideas.

Mount can unlock defences and has already given Derby fans a glimpse of what he can do going forward.

The 19-year-old has already had the experience of playing regular senior football and is more than ready to showcase his talent on the senior international stage against the world's best players.

Having featured 29 times for Vitesse last season and 11 times already for Derby this season, he is more than capable of representing Gareth Southgate's side.