Jacob Butterfield has earned himself an England Under 21 call-up

Jacob Butterfield has earned himself an England Under 21 call-up after making a great start to the season.

Preparations have started for the international week as Stuart Pearce today named a 25-man squad for England Under-21s European Championship Qualification double-header against Iceland and Belgium.

And Pearce's team will be full of confidence when they arrive at Colchester United's Weston Homes Community Stadium for the first of those games against Iceland on Thursday 10 November.

A sell-out crowd at the League One club will hope the young Lions can maintain their 100 percent start to the campaign, which includes two well-earned away wins last month against Iceland and Norway. On 14 November, they then take on Belgium at RAEC Mons to round-off 2011.

England will be without the injured West Ham midfielder Henri Lansbury, who has been in great form this season scoring three goals in four games, but Pearce calls on five new players in Crystal Palace's Nathaniel Clyne, Brighton's Lewis Dunk, Barnsley's Jacob Butterfield, Tottenham's Tom Carroll, and Middlesbrough's Alex Nimely.

"I've called in a few first-timers, though, who have impressed this season. Lewis Dunk has been playing particular well at Brighton. He seems to play above his age in the way he carries himself on a football pitch. Nathaniel Clyne, Tom Carroll and Jacob Butterfield, likewise, have looked good for their clubs and have forced their way into our thinking.

"We're always looking for strikers and Alex Nimely has been playing at Middlesbrough this year, and although he's not a regular starter at the moment, this is the last opportunity of the year to get someone new into the squad and for them to stake a claim."

Pearce has also named a five-man standby list of Joe Bennett, Declan Rudd, Jonjo Shelvey, Andros Townsend and Dan Gosling.

From what I've been hearing about him , it's well-deserved. I hope he gets in the 1st.11.

He's having a very good season is young Jacob, been a bit quiet last couple of games but thats happens over a season. Well deserved call up for the lad!!