England boss Gareth Southgate admits the form of his Three Lions prospects played a huge role in who made the cut for the 2022 World Cup this winter. Newcastle United will have three representatives at the Qatar showpiece after Callum Wilson, Nick Pope and Kieran Trippier booked their place on the plane on Thursday.
Wilson hasn't featured for his country since 2019 but has been in fine goalscoring form in recent weeks as Newcastle climbed the Premier League table. The Magpies forward has scored four and assisted two in his last seven outings, including a brace against Aston Villa as Southgate watched on from the St James' Park stands.
Sections of the England fan base have criticised Southgate for not picking Roma striker Tammy Abraham for the 26-man squad. However, the boss admits the timing of the tournament means the form of his picks has been key.
READ MORE: Callum Wilson earns World Cup spot alongside Kieran Trippier and Nick Pope as England squad named
"Tammy had a poor run of scoring form at the wrong time really," he told the media on Thursday. "It's not a case where we're three or four weeks away from the finals and the start of the first match.
"We're now 10 days away. Form could be more important. We're watching players' club form but we don't really know where they are until we see them face to face and on the training pitch.
"There will be medical issues that we're not aware of. We know their form in matches but you don't get the full picture until you speak with them, work with them and see how they train."
Pope and Trippier were always expected to make the England squad after excelling at both club and country level in recent months. Southgate decided against picking Newcastle star Dan Burn despite calls from the Magpies faithful.
England squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Nick Pope, Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Kieran Trippier, Harry Maguire, Ben White, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Luke Shaw, Conor Coady, Eric Dier
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips, James Maddison, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher
Attackers: Callum Wilson, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka
