England World Cup squad: Five players Gareth Southgate snubbed for the tournament in Russia
As ever, there were several notable omissions from the group and plenty of players who will feel hard done by not to be going to the tournament
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Your support makes all the difference.Gareth Southgate‘s 23-man England squad destined for the 2018 World Cup in Russia was revealed on Wednesday, with bold call-ups for several young and inexperienced players like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
As ever, there were several notable omissions from the group and plenty of players who will feel hard done by not to be going to the tournament. We take a look at five who missed out:
Gareth Southgate is a huge supporter of Adam Lallana and wanted the Liverpool midfielder’s unpredictable talent as a weapon in his World Cup armoury. But it is understood he could not be convinced by the 30-year-old’s fitness following a stop-start season of only 15 club appearances. Lallana is on Southgate’s standby list and could still be called into the group, but the likelihood is he will be watching the tournament from home.
The Manchester United defender has had a reasonable campaign for his club, making 45 appearances, and he is likely to start Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley. But he lost favour with Southgate after a shaky performance for England against Scotland last summer and has never recovered. Instead the less experienced Harry Maguire has been given the opportunity to fight to be part of England’s back three alongside John Stones, Phil Jones, Gary Cahill and Kyle Walker.
In some ways it shouldn’t be a surprise to see Hart omitted from the squad. He has had two unconvincing loan spells in a row, at Torino and West Ham, the latter ending on the bench watching Adrian wear the gloves. However, as England’s most capped current player with 75 international appearances, Hart is a high-profile exclusion and the 31-year-old now faces a critical juncture in his career, and he must decide carefully over his next move.
The Arsenal midfielder has worked his way back into the Arsenal fold this season and was widely expected to be included, if not in Southgate’s starting XI then at least as a part of the squad. However his form at fitness is considered unreliable, while the type of midfielders Southgate has chosen suggests the desire for a more high-energy profile of player in the centre of the pitch. Wilshere took the phone call well and the 26-year-old has been told to set his sights on Euro 2020.
Southgate said the omission of the Southampton defender was one of his toughest decisions, praising the 28-year-old’s performances this season while admitting that ultimately he could not leave out the quality of Danny Rose or the resurgent Ashley Young. Bertrand may also be a victim of his own specialism – Fabian Delph can cover at both wingback and midfield while Young and Kieran Trippier are comfortable on both the right and left side. Southgate has prioritised players who offer him flexibility in how his team sets up, and ample cover in the case of injuries or suspensions, and Bertrand is one of those to lose out.
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