The discarded England XI without a hope of a World Cup squad place | OneFootball

This England XI have all been called up by their country in the last 12 months, which remains extraordinary in some cases.

But all have been subsequently left behind, with many simply not playing enough football.

GOALKEEPER: Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle United) Last call-up: March 2025 The writing was very much on the wall when Nick Pope’s concussion-prompted withdrawal from this squad saw Manchester City reserve goalkeeper James Trafford called up in his stead, rather than Newcastle United reserve goalkeeper Ramsdale. We’re old enough to remember Robert Green having ‘England’s No. 6’ stitched onto his gloves. At least Ramsdale is one place better off…

RIGHT-BACK: Rico Lewis (Manchester City) Last call-up: November 2024 His last Premier League start came in Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham as he has been utterly usurped by Matheus Nunes at right-back for club, while Nico O’Reilly has leapfrogged him into the England squad. Was the subject of Nottingham Forest interest in August and it’s hard to shift the notion that Lewis is out of his depth at an elite club.

CENTRE-HALF: Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Southampton) Last call-up: November 2024 Joins the David Nugent Club with one cap, one goal. Now playing for a poor Championship side and will almost certainly never again play for England. Remember the name for Sporcle quizzes of the future.

CENTRE-HALF: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton) Last call-up: November 2024 Not a Harwood-Bellis by any means, but has missed the majority of this season through injury and is unlikely to climb his way past three or four established centre-halves before June. His time may yet come.

LEFT-BACK: Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal) Last call-up: October 2025 “Myles simply needs more starts, more minutes,” says Thomas Tuchel, which is absolutely fair enough. Is he likely to get more starts, more minutes at Arsenal between now and June? Nope. There have been inevitable rumours about a January exit but at 19, does Lewis-Skelly need drastic action now? Does he balls. There will be other major tournaments.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Angel Gomes (Marseille) Last call-up: November 2024 We miss Lee Carsley a little bit. And some people think Tuchel’s squad selections are ‘seismic’.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid) Last call-up: June 2025 The only England game he has played under Tuchel was the 3-1 thwacking by Senegal and he was hauled off after less than an hour. Things are going so badly at Atletico Madrid (two La Liga starts) than even Manchester United is starting to look like a good option.

RIGHT WING: Curtis Jones (Liverpool) Last call-up: June 2025 We are crowbarring a little here but Jones has played in right midfield and has actually started an England game at right-back under Tuchel, which we had successfully memory-holed. This season he is on the fringes of a poor Liverpool side, which is far from conducive to regaining an England place that already looks lost.

ATTACKING MIDFIELD: Ruben Loftus-Cheek (AC Milan) Last call-up: October 2025 Probably the biggest beneficiary of the ‘I picked them in September so I will pick them in October’ play by Tuchel but thankfully, that little game is now over and we can get on with the serious business of preparing for a World Cup. He is on the fringes of the Milan first team and he should not even he able to see the fringes of the England team.

LEFT WING: Jack Grealish (Everton) Last call-up: November 2024 Let’s face it, if the call was going to come, it would have come by now. Tuchel appears to prefer direct pace to maverick stylings on the wing, with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon pretty much nailed on for left-wing spots. It’s simply a matter of taste and Grealish does seem quite sanguine about the matter.

He was in Tuchel’s first England squad and did not play a minute. Injured now but will not be kidding himself that has any bearing on the German choosing only one out-and-out striker in Harry Kane. If Tuchel changes his mind, it will be Ollie Watkins who benefits.