Who is expected to be in the England squad?

England manager Gareth Southgate is expected to announce his 26-man squad tomorrow Thursday November 10.  

All nations have been told they have until Sunday November 13 to submit who will be playing for their squad, less than a week before the tournament begins.  

Southgate has already named some of his 55-man provisional squad and has his eyes set on these players: 

Mason Mount 

The 23-year-old midfielder who joined the team in 2019 has made a great impression on Southgate who regards the young player as “exceptional”. He appeared in five of the seven Euros 2020 matches. He currently has 32 senior caps and has scored five goals for the team.

Harry Kane 

Captain of both his club, Tottenham, and the national team, Kane has scored an impressive 51 goals and has 75 senior caps. Kane scored 12 goals during the qualifiers for Euro 2020 and scored 10 goals during the World Cup qualifiers. He is currently behind Wayne Rooney with most goals by only three points. With his incredible work ethic, there is no doubt we will see him in Qatar. 

Raheem Sterling 

Another player who is a top goal scorer, Sterling has scored 19 goals and has 79 senior caps. The Jamaican-born forward who has been with the team since 2012 has played exceptionally well over the years and was the one to watch during the Euros, scoring against Germany, Croatia and Czech Republic as well as assisting Harry Kane.  

Jordan Pickford 

The No.1 goalkeeper for England who rose to fame during the Euros. His exceptional skills proved he would definitely be at the World Cup, but unfortunately sustained a thigh injury in September which left him out for a month. But the Everton keeper could yet be on the plane to Qatar.  

Bukayo Saka 

The young gunner has proven himself worthy when he made his debut in 2020. Since joining the Three Lions, Saka has scored four goals and attained 20 senior caps. Not only is he the nations favourite but he is also an exceptional winger that a manager needs. 

Jude Bellingham 

The youngest player in the team but Bellingham is more than just that, he has impressed Southgate who has said that the 19-year-old midfielder is ‘phenomenal’. Bellingham who has played 144 games and won 17 senior caps will definitely be the one to watch on the pitch. 

Jack Grealish 

Another nation favourite, Grealish had proved he was essential for the team with his tremendous performance at the Euros especially when he assisted goals for both Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling during their match against Germany. This led him to bigger things when he became the most expensive British player with a 100 million transfer at Manchester City last summer.  

Also expected to be in the line up are Marcus Rashford, Phil Foden, Declan Rice, Luke Shaw, Kieran Trippier, Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho. Liverpool defender Trent Alexander Arnold is also expected to be in the line up despite recent criticism from pundit and ex footballer Gary Neville. Brentford’s Ivan Toney who recently joined the squad will also be expected to represent the nation at the World Cup. 

Man City’s Kalvin Phillips and Kyle Walker are determined they want to be part of the squad despite their recent surgeries from a shoulder and groin injury. Man City manager, Pep Guardiola recently said the pair are fit enough to attend the World Cup. 

Reece James was told by Gareth Southgate today that he will not be playing for the team after he sustained a knee injury. His Chelsea teammate, Ben Chilwell will also miss the tournament after a hamstring injury which has left him in crutches.  

There have also been calls for Leicester City’s James Maddison to be part of the squad as he has the most goal involvements for this Premier League season with 18 goals and 12 assists.