Gareth Southgate will be laying down his provisional plans for the World Cup soon ahead of next month’s tournament. The competition is set to kick off on Sunday November 20, with England’s first match taking place a day later when they face Iran at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Before the team jet off to Qatar, Southgate has to select his squad. It has been confirmed that the 52-year-old will select a whopping 55-man provisional squad today and will then have to whittle it down to 26 by November 13. However we are expected to discover the final squad days earlier than the deadline.
The squad announcement is always full of criticism, debate and some joy, while the weeks leading up to it are spent considering Southgate’s wide range of options and whether your favourite player will make the cut.
Premier League stars such as Jordan Pickford, Declan Rice and Harry Kane are all staples in the Three Lions set-up and will be guaranteed their place on the plane, however there are still a number of players that have an outside chance of staking their claim.
Here are 12 players who will be hopeful of a call-up and how likely the bookies think their prospects are.
The squad announcement is always full of criticism, debate and some joy, while the weeks leading up to it are spent considering Southgate’s wide range of options and whether your favourite player will make the cut.
9. Danny Welbeck - 28/1
The 31-year-old has been immense for Brighton this season and there has been calls for him to make the England squad after a four year absence.
10. Dominic Solanke - 33/1
The former Liverpool youngster shone in the England youth set-up before making his only appearance for the senior team in 2017. Solanke has bagged five goal contributions in eight matches for Bournemouth this season.
11. Freddie Woodman - 66/1
Woodman joined Preston North End in the summer after eight years in Newcastle and has since picked up an impressive ten clean sheets.
12. Joe Hart - 80/1
Hart was previously England’s no.1 but hasn’t earned a cap since 2017. The 35-year-old has managed to find his form since joining Celtic last summer.