Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has revealed who would make his 26-man England squad for the upcoming Qatar World Cup and made some big calls.
Who Gareth Southgate will select for the tournament is one of the biggest talking points around at the moment and both fans and pundits alike are having their say. The former Reds defender has not dropped any prominent figures in his squad, but has included a few names fans may disagree with.
There are no shocks when it comes to the three goalkeepers Carragher has selected, with Everton's Jordan Pickford likely to continue his role as first-choice shot-stopper with Arsenal's Aaron Ramsdale and Newcastle 'keeper Nick Pope serving as deputies.
Things aren't quite as obvious when it comes to the defenders Carragher has named. Manchester City duo Kyle Walker and John Stones make the cut, as do Kieran Trippier and Luke Shaw.
With Reece James suffering with injury, Trent Alexander-Arnold would come in to replace him if Carragher had his way - despite lingering fears over the Reds right-back's defensive abilities. Arsenal's Benjamin White also makes the cut, with Eric Dier and Conor Coady joining him.
Carragher also named much-maligned Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, snubbing the likes of Fikayo Tomori in the process. The Red Devils skipper has been desperately searching for form for some time but is yet to find it and has spent plenty of the current campaign injured or on the bench.
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In midfield, Carragher selected the usual suspects in Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson and Mason Mount. However, James Maddison also makes the cut after his fantastic start to the season with Leicester City, though it remains to be seen whether Three Lions boss Southgate will agree on that one.
Though Kalvin Phillips has made just three appearances for City since his £42million move from Leeds in the summer, Carragher has named him in his squad and it is incredibly likely Southgate will follow suit. There is no place for recent call-ups such as James Ward-Prowse, Conor Gallagher, Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Ollie Watkins, amongst others.
In terms of attackers, the Liverpool icon has decided to name eight - with the overwhelming majority being players that already boast plenty of England experience. Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford are all on the plane with Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.
Brentford's Ivan Toney has eight goals for the Bees so far this term and that has proved enough to seal him a place in Carragher's opinion, who has also opted for Roma talisman Tammy Abraham despite his slower start to the campaign.
Carragher didn't offer up much of an explanation when it came to why he went for this squad, but fellow former Premier League legend Alan Shearer was more in-depth when justifying why he picked players like Maguire.
"It’s not just about questionable fitness - it’s about form, too... with Harry Maguire it’s form and a lack of game time - one start in the league for Manchester United since August," the Newcastle icon wrote in The Athletic.
"Maguire has barely been playing, while his performance in England’s 3-3 draw with Germany in the Nations League draw back in September hardly inspired confidence.
"Picking him in your starting XI would represent a huge gamble, but the problem is that Maguire is not an isolated example."
Southgate will name his provisional England squad at 2pm on Thursday, November 10.
Carragher's England squad in full: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Benjamin White, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Eric Dier, Harry Maguire, Conor Coady, Kieran Trippier, Luke Shaw; Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips, James Maddison, Mason Mount; Harry Kane, Tammy Abraham, Ivan Toney, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish
