Southgate has made some big calls
The official 23 man England squad for this summer’s World Cup in Russia has been announced. Joe Hart and Jack Wilshere are the most notable omissions, while Nick Pope and Danny Welbeck have all been included.
For the first time in history the Football Association has announced the squad via video, in a campaign which has sought to tap into the players’ personalities and what they mean to their respective communities, as well as the country as a whole.
The FA and @England are changing the game with their official Word Cup squad announcement! Fair play 👏👏👏 #ThreeLions 🦁🦁🦁https://t.co/0Tl6Mmsr9O pic.twitter.com/jIvnNEtAvp
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) May 16, 2018
Gareth Southgate said before the announcement that there would be no surprises, and he has stuck to his word, opting not to hand out any wildcards to youngsters like Jadon Sancho or Ryan Sessegnon. The England boss has only handed out one debut, to Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has impressed for Liverpool this season.
Jonjo Shelvey and Jamaal Lascelles miss out despite their good form throughout the season, with Southgate preferring to take Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Trent Alexander-Arnold instead of the Newcastle duo.
Loftus-Cheek’s recent form on loan at Crystal Palace has earned him a call-up. The Chelsea man also won Man of the Match in his senior debut for the Three Lions against Germany, back in November.
The full squad is as follows:
GK: Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland, Nick Pope
DF: Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Gary Cahill, Danny Rose, Kieran Trippier, Ashley Young, Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, John Stones
MF: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling
FW: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
For more information on the England World Cup squad go here.
