Gareth Southgate has confirmed his 26-player England squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The players who have made the cut were revealed at 2pm, after weeks of jostling for position and speculation over who will be boarding the plane to Qatar.
There had been rumblings over whether James Maddison, Ivan Toney, James Ward-Prowse, Jarrod Bowen and Joe Gomez had been excluded from the squad, and four of those five ended up missing out – Leicester playmaker Maddison the in-form player to force his way into Southgate’s plans.
There was also a place for Newcastle striker Callum Wilson after a recent goal charge at St James’ Park, and a call-up for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.
Here’s what Southgate had to say about his decisions, the squad in full and when England will get their campaign underway.
“He’s fantastic at pressing the ball. He’s not as experienced with us as other, but he has an impact on games and a goal threat,” Southgate said of his decision to pick Conor Gallagher, ahead of the likes of James Ward-Prowse.
“We were really pleased with the way he responded to being left out of our squad [earlier in the season], his mentality was excellent. If you approach it in that way, there’s always a way back.”
“Kyle is not back in full training yet but he will be available for the group stage,” Southgate said of Manchester City star Walker.
“We had to make a difficult call with Reece, who is a fantastic player. But he wasn’t going to be available until, if everything went perfectly, the latter stages of the tournament.
“There were too many unknowns on this road to recovery, and I don’t think we could take a player that’s not available for the group stage, I think that would be deemed arrogant in some circles.
“There were too many unknowns on this road to recovery, and I don’t think we could take a player that’s not available for the group stage, I think that would be deemed arrogant in some circles.
“If everything went well and he was available and ready, you’d be bringing him into a quarter-final after eight weeks out. That would be really demanding.”
“No, that’s not the case,” Southgate insisted when it was put to him that Kalvin Phillips wouldn’t be fit for England’s first group game. “Kalvin played last night, so I think with him he’s free of injury.
“We’re aware he’s not going to be able to play 90 minutes, that won’t be possible. We’re going to have to build his fitness level. But…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at 90min EN…