Liverpool striker Danny Ings and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli have spoken of their surprise at winning a place in the England squad for this month's Euro 2016 qualifiers.
Ings revealed that he has had to cancel a planned family get-together as he will now be away on international duty. And Alli says he was left "speechless" by his maiden England call-up, just months after playing in League One with Milton Keynes Dons.
Ings, a regular for Gareth Southgate's under-21 side and part of the squad at the European Under-21 Championship in the summer, has earned a promotion to Roy Hodgson's seniors after scoring twice in his last three matches for Liverpool.
The pair will link up with England next week for their final Euro 2016 ties against Estonia and Lithuania.
"To be honest I was shocked, I didn't expect it at all," Ings said. "I already had flights booked to see family back home in Southampton in the international break so they got cancelled swiftly.
"I got a text in the morning just before I met up with the lads [for Liverpool's Europa League tie with Sion]. It means the world to me. It was my dream as a kid to get the call and now I've got the call it is unbelievable.
"It is a huge boost for me as a player and for my career so I'll take great confidence from that moving forward. It means so much to me and my family and hopefully it is something I can build on.
"It is great that people are recognising your hard work and what you try to do for the team and the fans but it is something I honestly didn't expect. For me it is about developing every day and I feel I am improving every day here. It is a great club and a great foundation and hopefully we can have success together."
Alli achieved promotion with MK Dons, spending the second half of the season back on loan at the club having secured a £5 million move to Spurs in January.
"I was speechless," Alli said. "It's been a really good start to the season for me. I maybe didn't expect it to go this well.
"At the start of the season I set myself a target to try to become a regular in the U21s and try to get a few starts in the Premier League.
"Obviously, I've got a few starts already, so it's been a great start and I can't thank the players and staff enough for helping me settle in and play as well as I have been."