GARETH SOUTHGATE has named his 26-man squad for England’s World Cup campaign with Conor Gallagher and Callum Wilson the shock picks.
The Three Lions gaffer has whittled down his 55-man provisional list to the special 26.
And there will be the traditional mix of euphoria and despair around the nation today.
After announcing his chosen group, Southgate said: “We’re excited by the group. We think there’s a lot of talent within it.
“But the group has to come together. We’ve got to adapt better than anybody else in the coming period.”
Harry Kane will once again spearhead Southgate’s troops looking to win his first ever competition trophy.
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The Spurs man was the top scorer at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Jordan Pickford has never let anyone down for England, and he will be given the gloves in Qatar.
The much-maligned Harry Maguire might not have found much form for Manchester United this season, but he is one of Southgate’s favourites in the squad.
James Maddison’s inclusion is arguably the biggest talking point. He appears to have finally won over Southgate after his stunning form for Leicester dragged them off the bottom of the Premier League.
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Wilson’s inclusion in the forward line could also raise some eyebrows, but when fit the 30-year-old has a proven goal threat.
Speaking about Maddison, Southgate said: “He is a really good player, he is playing well and he can offer something different.
“For the Euros he wasn’t in contention, he had a bit of a problem with his hip.
“But he is a little bit different to the others.”
Asked about Maddison’s reaction: “He was delighted. As I said, I had some very difficult calls that were emotionally at the other end of the spectrum so it was nice to give myself that.
“All of those calls, the difficult calls and the positive ones, shows how much it means.
“A lot of people were suggesting he wouldn’t be with us but we decided a couple of weeks ago that he would, but we wouldn’t tell him that then.
“I didn’t speak with Callum. We have prioritised the difficult conversations and that’s really tough.
“Not many things in football harder than that. The nature of them remind you how much it means to go to a World Cup. I am very conscious of that. A great day for some but for some disappointing.”
The 25-year-old has only a single cap for the Three Lions, coming in 2019 in a 7-0 win against Montenegro.
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Southampton star James Ward-Prowse might feel particularly hard done by after just missing out on England’s Euro 2020 squad.
Brentford’s Ivan Toney was a long-shot after earning a recent call-up, but his eight goals in 13 Premier League appearances have not proved enough.
Defenders Marc Guehi and Fikayo Tomori have also missed the cut but the inclusion of Ben White might surprise some.
Tammy Abraham and Jarrod Bowen of Roma and West Ham respectively have not replicated last season’s stunning form this time around and won’t be on the plane.
On Abraham, Southgate added: “Tammy has had a poor run of scoring form at the wrong time basically.
“Form could be more important. We’re watching their club form but we don’t really know where they are until we see them on the training pitch.”
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England start their World Cup campaign against Iran on Monday, November 21 in Group B.
Next up is a clash against Gregg Berhalter’s US, with the mouth-watering clash against near-neighbours Wales the final game on November 29.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
