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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Josh O'Brien

7 England players with World Cup hopes in tatters while FIVE right-backs in latest squad

Gareth Southgate has sparked plenty of discussion with his latest squad selection for England's upcoming round of Nations League fixtures.

The Three Lions boss has handed out debuts, omitted some notable faces and even selected as many as five right-backs for the four UEFA Nations League games next month against Hungary twice, Germany and Italy as Southgate looks to see who he can depend upon for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Right-backs Kieran Tripper, Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker and James Justin have all been selected - the latter of which for the first time at senior level for his country. West Ham talisman Jarrod Bowen has also been handed the chance to make his international bow after a stellar season for the Hammers.

However, attention has swiftly turned to the players that were left out of the squad and Mirror Football has analysed seven players who could be left sweating over their place on the plane when the time comes to make the trip to Qatar.

Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson was not selected but that seems to be Southgate offering the midfielder a rest after a gruelling season that ends with the Champions League final later this month.

"The decision around Jordan Henderson - I don't need to know anymore about him and he's played a lot of football this season," the England boss explained.

Without further ado, here are the seven players who will be fearing for their World Cup chances after this latest squad selection.

Marcus Rashford

At one time the idea of Rashford not making the England squad seemed unimaginable, but after the worst season of his Manchester United career to date - there is every chance the forward is overlooked for the World Cup.

Southgate's decision to leave him out of this side is not one that has seen much backlash, as the general consensus is that Rashford has been way off the pace all season in what has been a campaign forget both for him individually and United as a whole.

Marcus Rashford could miss out on England's World Cup squad unless his form improves ((Photo by FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA / POOL / AFP))

The rise in young attacking talent in England's ranks mixed with the seasoned veterans who were regulars for their country before him will undoubtedly be a cause for concern for Rashford.

Jadon Sancho

Much like his teammate at Old Trafford, Sancho has failed to inspire for large portions of this season. The former Borussia Dortmund man has certainly not hit the heights many tipped him to upon his arrival.

His campaign comes with the caveat of injuries, with Sancho missing nine games over the course of the season. Ultimately, Southgate's selection process will be based on who shines brightest on the pitch and Sancho has failed to do so.

Incoming United boss Erik ten Hag admitted during his first press-conference as Red Devils boss that was one of the tasks highest on his to-do list is to get Sancho firing once again, but he'll need to do it quick next season to stand any chance of making Qatar.

Eric Dier

This is a curious case given Dier has actually been near-faultless all season for a Tottenham Hotspur side celebrating Champions League qualification.

Dier has been in and out of England times for many years now but was arguably more worthy of a spot in the team than some of the central defenders that actually made the squad.

All the Spurs stalwart can do in the first-half of next season is pick up where he left off from this term and hope Southgate gives him the reward his displays deserve.

James Maddison

The Leicester City man's omission is a perfect case study in the debate as to whether Southgate should choose the players he has long depended on or the players that are in form.

Maddison has enjoyed his best ever season in a Foxes shirt in terms of goals and assists, with the attacking midfielder registering a stellar 12 goals and eights assists across 35 games for Brendan Rodgers' side.

He has also proven he can perform against European opposition with the Foxes enjoying a decent run in the Europa Conference League. Maddison bagged a vital go against PSV Eindhoven en route to the semi-final of the competition.

Tyrone Mings

Some fans were surprised when Southgate called up and played Mings at Euro 2020, but his performances back then went some way to justifying his selection.

Tyrone Mings is low down the pecking order of English centre-backs ((Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images))

However, less than 12 months later he is some way down the pecking order for England centre-backs after an inconsistent season with Aston Villa.

The likes of Benjamin White, Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori are now arguably all viewed as a more qualified candidate for the structure in which Southgate wants to play while Wolves skipper Conor Coady has kept his place in the side despite Mings being viewed as above him at the Euros.

Joe Gomez

There are no glaring flaws with Gomez's game that make this omission any easier for the Liverpool star to swallow - it is simply down to fitness and stalled development.

There was once a time in the not so distant past that Gomez would have been widely regarded as one of England's most promising defenders, but persistent injury struggles at Anfield have meant he has fallen out of favour for both club and country.

He has featured just eight times in the league this season, with first-team football hard to come by while operating as the Reds fourth choice central-defender behind Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate.

Luke Shaw

The Manchester United left-back has had a season littered with injuries, much like the man he vies with for the England left-back role in Ben Chilwell.

However, when both were fit it was Blues talent Chilwell who was operating at the higher level while Shaw was another underperforming United defender in a notably fragile backline.

Both are expected to return to fitness long before the World Cup, but if both return to action in the kind of form they left it in then Southgate has a easy decision to make when choosing his first-choice left-back.

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