Foden Axed: The Players From England’s 35-Man Squad Who Will Make The World Cup Cut | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel has a big decision to make.

England’s manager has called 35 players up to his March international squad, and must choose to axe nine ahead of the summer’s World Cup.

Many fringe players featured against Uruguay on Friday night and against Japan on Tuesday; these were matches that may have helped Tuchel decide which players won’t make the final cut.

Here’s our predicted final squad, which features a couple of shock omissions.

Goalkeepers

One of the first names on the teamsheet will undoubtedly be Jordan Pickford, who is set to enter his fifth successive tournament as England’s number one. The 32-year-old is an experienced head and is yet to let his country down on the world stage.

Assisting Pickford in training will be backups Dean Henderson and James Trafford, of Crystal Palace and Manchester City, respectively. Jason Steele will join up with the squad too, as a training goalkeeper, but not formally announced as part of the 26-man setup.

Unlucky to miss out are Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale, with neither penning down a starting place in the Newcastle side this season. It’s a toss of a coin between Ramsdale and Trafford for a spot on the plane, but the latter appears to be favoured by Thomas Tuchel.

Defenders

England have an array of choices to play across the defence. Following Kyle Walker’s retirement, the right back spot will be up for grabs, and Thomas Tuchel appears to favour Reece James, with whom he worked for a period at Chelsea.

Injury problems have been an issue for James in his career so far, and if not fit, Tino Livramento is just as good an option to step in. Both will be in the squad, beating plenty of competition for their spots.

Trent Alexander-Arnold would have been another interesting pick, but was left out of Tuchel’s expanded squad for the March international break, and appears to be out of the England boss’s plans. Ben White was also featured in the squad, but is far down the pecking order for starting right backs and most likely won’t make the squad for North America.

The left-hand side of defence is the most likely to be up for grabs in the entire squad, with it being a spot no player managed to tie down in the nine-year Gareth Southgate era.

England’s best two options here are Lewis Hall and Nico O’Reilly, both young full-backs who can offer something different to the team. Luke Shaw may be getting minutes at Manchester United, but it appears time to pass over the baton to the two younger options.

Tottenham defender Djed Spence has featured regularly under Tuchel, but just looks an unnatural pick as a right-footed left back, and should not be on the plane for the summer. Similarly, Arsenal full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly has featured in Tuchel’s squads, but isn’t first choice at Arsenal, and after a warning in November, is unlikely to feature.

“Myles simply needs more starts, more minutes. Now [November] came a time when O’Reilly had so many starts in that position, so he is slightly ahead for this camp,” Tuchel told the media.

The centre back positions are easier to nail down. Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi are set to be on the plane, and, providing John Stones stays fit, he too will be. That leaves two centre back spots, and it’s a toss-up between taking the experienced Harry Maguire, Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah, and Newcastle’s Dan Burn.

Tuchel told the media in March 2026: “I haven’t changed my mind, but I see other players I like to start for us, I see Konsa and Guehi ahead [of Maguire]. I see Chalobah, on the level of mobility, as slightly ahead of him. I see other players ahead with a different profile.”

Given that Dan Burn has been picked in every England squad under Tuchel, it sounds as if he will take a spot on the plane. He’ll certainly provide a different profile, as a left-footed defender, standing at 6’7”, and will be brilliant for the squad morale.

Between Chalobah and Maguire, while Tuchel previously said the former was ahead, great performances from Harry Maguire in the March internationals will cement his place on the plane, along with his experience.

That too leaves out Ben White and Fikayo Tomori, who are unlikely to feature outside of an extended England squad.

Midfielders

Thomas Tuchel’s favoured formation has been to play a 4-2-3-1 as England boss, so he needs a decent selection of options to play across the three roles.

The players most likely to sit deeper, at the core of England’s midfield, are Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.

Anderson is set to start in the World Cup and has been favoured by Tuchel, paired with Declan Rice, who is being given the licence to go forward in this system.

Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo, who started the final of the European Championships, will go as the backup option in the advanced midfielder role, ready to come off the bench if needed, but won’t get in the way of Anderson and Rice’s partnership.

The last central midfielder spot will go to Jordan Henderson, who is clearly in the fold for the World Cup, as a backup option that can play across the midfield. James Garner will miss out of the final squad, despite being picked for the March internationals.

One of the positions that is most up for grabs in the England ranks is the spot behind the striker – the ‘number ten’ role.

Since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival, Morgan Rogers has made the position his own, grasping his chances with Jude Bellingham’s absence. Both will take spots in the World Cup squad, but it’s unclear who will start the tournament in the starting eleven.

So too to travel will be Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who may not start the tournament, but will be vital for an impact off the bench. While the inclusions of Rogers, Bellingham and Palmer don’t close the shop, a shock omission of Manchester City playmaker Phil Foden could be set to happen – more on that one later in the article.

Forwards

The forward positions are easy picks, though Thomas Tuchel may have to be harsh on some players who have found chances under his management.

On the right-hand side of attack, Bukayo Saka will almost certainly start. The key decision that Tuchel and his coaching staff must make is who goes as second fiddle. Will it be Noni Madeuke, or Jarrod Bowen?

While Madeuke is a great option, Jarrod Bowen offers more of a goalscoring threat off the bench and has regularly performed in the Premier League year after year for West Ham United, with 108 goal involvements overall.

On the left side of the attack, it’s unclear who starts. Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford have had their chances in the team, but neither has made a big enough impact to nail down a spot – but both are almost certainly on the plane.

Expect those two to go, to the detriment of Eberechi Eze, who doesn’t quite find a spot, and Gordon’s teammate at club level, Harvey Barnes, who made a cameo at Wembley against Uruguay.

England captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane looks in the form of his life and fitter than ever. This will be important for England – a fit Kane at the last tournament could have seen them go all the way in beating Spain in the final.

His backup is likely to be Ollie Watkins, who, despite missing out on the March squad, is the best option and is still scoring enough goals for Aston Villa to be under consideration. This will mean Dominic Solanke and namesake Calvert-Lewin will miss out.

Why Foden Misses Out

Phil Foden is undoubtedly one of England’s most gifted technical players. Somebody regularly lauded by Pep Guardiola, there is no question about his ability.

But the Manchester City playmaker has scored just 4 times in 47 England caps, and has never really made a strong positive impact on the team.

His big chance to shine was against Uruguay, where Thomas Tuchel started Foden in the central ‘no.10’ position, but it was a performance that failed to inspire.

Foden has had his audition and failed the test. With Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer ahead of him in the central playmaker position, Foden will not, and should not, go to the World Cup.

It’s Getting Real Now

Thomas Tuchel has now had his last chance at picking an England squad before the World Cup.

Just three months away is the announcement for his 26-man squad, which will reveal who impressed the most over his first 18 months in the job.