England's 2026 World Cup Squad: Who's On The Plane?

Thomas Tuchel has submitted his 55-man provisional squad list to FIFA for the World Cup. From that, he has to narrow it down to the 26 players he believes will lead England to their first World Cup win in 60 years. In his eighteen months in charge, he’s made some interesting (Dan Burn becoming a major part of the squad), bold (dropping Alexander-Arnold) and weird (Ivan Toney’s call up) decisions. In this article, I’m using Gradient Grades and Metrics combined with who Tuchel has selected in his six England camps to try and figure out who’s most likely to be on the plane to North America. One statistical measure I’m using is what percentile a player grades in for a certain skill. If you’re unfamiliar with percentiles, the 100th percentile represents the best in the league at that skill, and the 1st percentile is the worst. Also a note that any data viz shown is from a player’s domestic season performance.

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Designations:

On The Plane: Guaranteed to be in the US.

Departure Lounge: Likely to make the squad.

Book a Taxi to the Airport: On the cusp but should feel reasonably confident.

Find Your Passport: An outside shot to make the squad, but know where your passport is just in case.

Book That Holiday: It’s probably safe to go away in June.

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Goalkeepers

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Jordan Pickford (6/6 Camps)

A guarantee to be on the plane. The Everton goalkeeper has been England’s first choice since the 2018 World Cup and has always performed when called upon for his country. He’s also become quite a reliable performer for Everton after a couple of up and down years as they struggled in the league. His 84.5 Shot-Stopping Grade is the second best in the league this season and the best among England’s keepers, continuing on the 86.0 grade he had in the previous season that was good for third-highest in the league. He’s also never really had a serious challenger for the number 1 spot, even after the transition from Gareth Southgate to Thomas Tuchel there hasn’t been any inclination that his place is in danger. On The Plane.

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Dean Henderson (6/6 Camps)

Six squads, the deputy to Pickford for all of Tuchel’s games in charge and on the back of another solid season for Palace where he had a 77.9 Saving Grade, he’s confidently locked in as England’s no.2. On The Plane.

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James Trafford (6/6 Camps)

Trafford looked like a certainty to be England’s third choice goalkeeper but given his lack of minutes for Manchester City it began to look ever more likely he’d miss out. He’s still been called up to every squad and an impressive performance in the League Cup final will have given him a little boost. Ramsdale and Pope trading the number one spot between them with a number of poor performances to boot means Trafford might get the spot by default. Departure Lounge.

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Aaron Ramsdale (2/6 Camps)

His chances of making the squad at the start of the season looked incredibly small, joining Newcastle on loan to become their backup after a disappointing year at Southampton. It looked certain he wouldn’t be going to his third international tournament in the United States. However, after taking over as Newcastle’s number one, he earned only his second call-up from Tuchel. Ramsdale’s Saving Grade has been in the 79th percentile of the league (79.2), but his goalkeeper positioning sits below average (67.3).  Book That Holiday.

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Nick Pope (1/6 Camps)

The former Burnley man has only been called up once and looks to have little chance to make the squad now that he’s been in and out of the side as Newcastle’s number 1. It looks almost certain that Pope won’t add to his 10 caps this summer. He’s had a tough year and the grades reflect that with a 60.7 Saving Grade. Book That Holiday.

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Jason Steele (1/6 Camps)

A name I, and I’d imagine many others, didn’t have on this list when I started putting it together before the final squad announcement. However, if you’re getting called into your first senior squad for the last games before the tournament after not making a league appearance all season it’s unique enough to say there’s a non-zero chance you’ll be third choice. We don’t have any grades for him because he hasn’t played. He had a 63.8 Shot-Stopping Grade the last time he played regularly in 2023-2024. Book a holiday with good travel insurance for unforeseen cancellations.

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Defenders

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Dan Burn (6/6 Camps)

The Newcastle defender has an unprecedented England career. Since 2000, only 7 players have made their England debuts after their 30th birthday. Burn’s first cap came during Tuchel’s first game in charge in March 2025 and the 6 caps he’s won means of that group, only Rickie Lambert has played more games for England after a senior debut in their 30’s. The former Brighton man might not start at the World Cup but I can’t see him making all of Tuchel’s squads and being left out of the final roster. He’s in the 80th Percentile of players in the Premier League for Aerial Duels, Clearances and Defensive Positioning which explains why Tuchel finds him so dependable. What a year he’s had. Departure Lounge.

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Ben White (1/6 Camps)

White’s injury at the weekend, which has ended his season, has also seemingly ended his hopes of returning permanently to the England squad. He scored against Uruguay in March after he ended his “retirement” from the national side but probably only had an outside chance of making the 26. Book That Holiday.

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Marc Guehi (5/6 Camps)

Guehi was always going to be one of the starting centre-backs and since his move to Manchester City in January he’s seemingly found another level. Of the 11 of our 13 general grading categories he qualifies in, he’s in the top 75th percentile of 7 of them (Defensive Positioning, Tackling, Passing, Clearances, Aerial Duels, Ball Carries and Carry Defending) and is above average in 8, only below average in Tackle Resistance, Shooting and Defending Dribbles. On The Plane.

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Reece James (5/6 Camps)

Reece James would probably have had the first-choice right-back position locked down after Kyle Walker left Manchester City a couple of years ago if it wasn’t for his continued battle with injuries. This year he’s stayed fit for the majority of the season, playing over 20 Premier League games for the first time since 2021-2022. But his recurring hamstring injury has haunted him again, not playing since mid-March before getting a run out against Liverpool. When he has played he’s been excellent, an 80.0 Tackling Grade, 78.9 Defending Dribbles Grade and a 80.4 Crossing Grade. It is interesting to note though that he does have one of the worst defensive positioning grades in the league with 57.3, with 21 mistakes that led to or should have led to chances for his opponents. Departure Lounge.

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Lewis Hall (1/6 Camps)

The Newcastle left-back has only been called up by Tuchel in the latest 35-man squad playing in both the games, but not featuring before then since he won his first two caps under caretaker manager Lee Carsley. But with Myles Lewis-Skelly being in and out of the Arsenal side this year and Luke Shaw seemingly out of favour despite featuring regularly for United, out of nowhere Hall seems to have positioned himself as the first choice left-back. He himself has had another excellent year with Newcastle. He has a 75.4 Crossing Grade (1st among English left-backs), a 80.8 Dribbling Grade (1st in the Premier League for left-backs) and a 83.6 Tackling Grade (7th best in the Premier League). Departure Lounge.

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Ezri Konsa (6/6 Camps)

Konsa is another player that has made all 6 camps under Tuchel and looks almost certain to make the squad. The Aston Villa man has won 18 caps since making his debut two years ago and is the current favourite to partner Guehi in Texas on the 17th of June.  At times he’s struggled this season but over the course of the year he still grades highly for us, Tackling, Carry Defending, Aerial Duels and Passing (7th best Passing Grade in the league) being the standout areas of his game. He and Guehi both being good on the ball is going to be an important part of Tuchel’s game plan. On The Plane.

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Myles Lewis-Skelley (4/6 Camps)‍

Myles Lewis-Skelly was involved in a good number of Tuchel’s early squads as he broke out last season but has been dropped since being an unused substitute on the bench for the middle part of the season. The fact he didn’t make the 35-man squad for Tuchel to have a look at him in March is a sign that he may miss out. Given he’s only played 623 minutes this season, we can’t look too closely at the small sample size of his grades. Book that Holiday.

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Tino Livramento (2/6 Camps)‍

Livramento has made two squads and looks like another that might sneak in as one of the last few names of the 26, however his season’s been marred by multiple spells out with injury, so much so that we can’t take much from his grades. In the small sample size he has excelled at Defending Dribbles with a 77.6 Grade which puts him in the 80th percentile in the league, but his Carry Defending with a 61.8 Grade is in the bottom third of the league. Book a Taxi to the Airport

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Harry Maguire (1/6 Camps)

When Tuchel took over, Maguire was completely out of England contention for the first time since he established himself as one Gareth Southgate’s key men. He earned his way to a call up for the March squad and it looks like he might be brought along as a veteran player. He probably won’t see much action in the USA but for what it’s worth defensively he’s been fairly solid for United. A 95th percentile Aerial Duels Grade (84.3) and an 88th percentile Positioning Grade (79.5), with an above average 50/50 Grade (73.2). He hasn’t faced enough dribbles or made enough tackles to qualify for a grade in those facets. Departure Lounge.

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Jarell Quansah (4/6 Camps)

The former Liverpool man has had a nice season for Bayer Leverkusen as they push on for the European spots in the Bundesliga. After making 4 of the 6 England camps it seems like Tuchel is really high on the centre-back who deputised at right-back for Liverpool on many occasions in his two seasons as part of the first team. He’s graded reasonably well in his first season in Germany, a strong 79.6 Aerial Duel Grade and a 75.9 50/50 Grade compares favourably to his English counterparts playing in the Premier League. I think it’s likely he gets a spot in the squad but if Tuchel sees him more as an option at full-back he could get usurped by O’Reilly or Spence. Book a Taxi to the Airport.

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Nico O’Reilly (3/6 Camps)

Manchester City is a ridiculously hard team to break into so the fact that O’Reilly has been able to nail down the starting left-back spot is a testament to his development. While he isn’t currently hitting the heights of others in the City starting line-up he has a prominent future and could be England’s starting left-back for tournaments to come. Most of his grades this season sit average and his distribution out wide has been particularly poor, he’s in the bottom 2nd percentile for Cross Grade (58.9) and he’s not had much success getting at players with a 62.0 Dribbling Grade as well. But defensively he’s fared reasonably well, an 80.3 Defending Dribbles Grade, 71.4 Tackling Grade and 69.9 Carry Defending Grade, the last two of which are lower grades but put him in the top 25% of players in the league. Departure Lounge.

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Djed Spence (4/6 Camps)‍

Spence has an incredible amount of talent but it often feels like it’s not all clicked together for the 25-year-old who should be in his early prime. His grades this season go from the excellent: 95th percentile Ball Carries Grade and 97th percentile Defending Dribbles Grade owing to his incredible speed, to 3rd percentile in Clearance Grade and 10th percentile in Defensive Positioning. He has an outside shot but I think players like Hall, O’Reilly and even maybe Livramento get preferred over him. Find Your Passport.

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John Stones (4/6 Camps)‍

Stones survived the new era better than Maguire initially but has missed squads with injury problems all season, only playing 7 league games as we near the final weeks. He’s apparently been fit since February but hasn’t featured in the league since early December. He also announced that he would be leaving City on the expiry of his contract. If he was in the squad, I’d assume he’d have a similar veteran role to Maguire, but does Maguire’s sudden recall and more game time mean that he’s going to be preferred over Stones? Find your Passport

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Fikayo Tomori (1/6 Camps)‍

Another one of England’s defenders playing on the continent, Tomori hasn’t had his strongest season as AC Milan have finished well short of their rivals Inter. Tomori has a 52.6 Aerial Duel Win % but his Aerial Duel Grade would be the lowest of any of England’s centre-back this season with a 66.0, which ranks him as the 85th best centre-back in that category in Serie A. One of his saving graces would be his Passing Grade, which at 76.7 only trails Ezri Konsa’s ridiculous 85.1 among his rivals for an England spot. However, given he was sent home before the Japan game during his one call up under Tuchel suggests that he isn’t in the German’s plans. Book That Holiday

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Trent Alexander-Arnold (1/6 Camps)‍

Who’d have thought we’d be here. It looks almost certain that Alexander-Arnold will be left out of the 26-man squad but I can’t think of putting him in the ‘book a holiday’ category. If there’s any type of injury surely he’s one of the first reserves. His bread and butter passing and crossing grades have maintained in La Liga and are better than all of England’s other right-backs, only Reece James’ slightly better 80.4 Crossing Grade comes close to Alexander-Arnold’s 80.2. His positioning however, which has always let him down, is 17th worst out of 18 eligible English full-backs, which seems to be the element of his game Tuchel (and other managers) take issue with. As things stand, it’s a pretty safe bet he misses out. Find Your Passport.

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Midfielders

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Jude Bellingham (4/6 Camps)‍

Another who, like Alexander-Arnold doesn’t seem to be in the best books with Tuchel. I think it’s possible that he doesn’t start but I can’t see a world where he’s left out of the team entirely. In a tumultuous season for Real Madrid with different managers, training ground bust ups and general disturbances, Bellingham has played fairly well. He has the 5th best Passing Grade at his position in La Liga with a 79.2, which trails only Adam Wharton and Elliott Anderson of his English Premier League counterparts. His Shooting Grade is much stronger with an 82.2 which is the best of any midfielder in La Liga and better than any other English midfielder. It would be the biggest decision Tuchel’s made to leave Bellingham in Madrid and I can’t see how having one of the best midfielders in the world, even as only a role player, would harm England’s chances. On The Plane.

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Jordan Henderson (6/6 Camps)‍

The former Liverpool captain has had to work his way back into the England squad in recent years. He initially survived under Southgate after his ill-advised move to Saudi Arabia but was left out of the Euro 2024 squad. Since Tuchel took charge he has made every squad and a move back to the Premier League this summer can’t have hurt his chances. It looks very likely he will make the team and be the first Englishman to make it to seven major tournaments, after first featuring at Euro 2012. He’s not graded excellent this year, Crossing and Tackling are where he stands out but every other element of his game has been average to below average. However, he’s another that’s there for his leadership and experience more than his playing ability. On The Plane.

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Declan Rice (6/6 Camps)‍

Rice has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season and is one of the first names on England’s teamsheet. He’s most likely the next England captain whenever Harry Kane steps away. He’s graded incredibly across the board. He has the best Overall Grade in the league (88.0), of the 12 grading facets he’s qualified in he’s in the top 90th percentile for 6 of them and the top 75th percentile for 10. He grades in the 80’s for his Crossing, 50/50 Duels, Tackle Resistance and Positioning. On The Plane

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Curtis Jones (2/6 Camps)‍

The Scouser has had a couple of England opportunities, winning six caps. That’s impressive considering he always seems to be Liverpool’s fourth or fifth choice for their midfield three. At 25, he’s probably getting to the point where he needs to consider leaving Liverpool if he isn’t going to nail down a consistent spot in the starting eleven, especially when he’s struggled for starts in a year where they’ve needed all the help they can get. When he has played, he’s impressed. 90th Percentile for Passing Grade, Dribbling Grade and Ball Carries Grade, 80th percentile for 50/50 Duels and Tackle Resistance Grade. One glaring issue is his 2nd Percentile Defensive Positioning Grade, probably not helped by a handful of games deputising out of position at right-back. His omission would mean it’s the first major tournament squad without a Liverpool player since Mexico 1986. Book That Holiday.

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Morgan Rogers (6/6 Camps)‍

Rogers very well might be the man to get the nod in the hole over Bellingham to start the tournament. The Villa man has had an excellent last two seasons and that’s resulted in him being an ever present since Tuchel took over. His grades haven’t been that impressive, he’s above average in only 6 of the 12 facets he qualifies for, but the two facets he’s in the 90th percentile for Shooting and Crossing are why England are so high on him. He currently has the 4th best Shooting Grade among Premier League midfielders. On The Plane.

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James Garner (1/6 Camps)‍

Garner made his England debut this year, had a standout season with Everton and is one of the darlings of our grading system this year. Of the 12 facets he qualifies for, in nine of them he’s in the 75th Percentile showing that he’s excelled in multiple elements of his game. He’s a threat going forward: 100th Percentile in Crosses with a league leading 88.4 Crossing Grade, 84th Percentile Dribbling Grade, 89th Percentile Passing Grade and Tackle Resistance Grade. He also gets the work done on the defensive side of the ball, finding himself in the 97th Percentile for Defending Dribbles Grade, 98th Percentile for 50/50 Duels Grade and 83rd Percentile for Defensive Positioning Grade. However, it all feels like it’s come a little too late for him with few midfield spots and Tuchel having players he’s relied on during his eighteen months in charge. He’s going to be right on the edge but I hope he’s a player they take a chance on. Book a Taxi to the Airport.

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Conor Gallagher (1/6 Camps)‍

Part of Gallagher’s move back to the Premier League may have been with the World Cup in mind but the transfer hasn’t worked out for either party so far. Gallagher and Tottenham have struggled and it’s probably best for the former Chelsea and Atletico Madrid midfielder to put this season behind him as quickly as possible and look toward an upturn in form next season. Book That Holiday.

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Morgan Gibbs-White (3/6 Camps)‍

Very few players have finished the season in as strong form as Gibbs-White. It had looked like he was slipping down the pecking order, maybe to be edged out by a Garner-type player but he’s put himself back in prime position to make the side.  He’s scored or assisted in 6 of the last 8 games, including a hat-trick against Burnley. Across the whole season he hasn’t performed as well as he did last year when Forest took the league by storm for the best part of 3 quarters of the season but his grades sit around the 50th percentile for most elements of his game. He’s excelled in Tackle Resistance and has had an above average season in both Passing and Shooting with grades of 68.2 and 72.2 respectively. Departure Lounge.

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Elliot Anderson (4/6 Camps)‍

Another player who really took a step forward this year. He had a solid 2024-2025 season but his performances were often overshadowed by Gibbs-White’s and Chris Wood’s as Forest overachieved. It became very apparent that Anderson was the main man to begin Forest’s season though, leading to his first England call up in September. He immediately started his first four games and as of now is the favourite to be the starting centre-midfielder alongside Declan Rice. His grades have cooled off a little from the start of the season where he was excelling in many different areas but his Passing Grade is still in the 97th percentile, On The Plane.

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Adam Wharton (3/6 Camps)‍

When Wharton broke through in the second half of the 2023-2024 season after he moved from Blackburn Rovers to Crystal Palace there was a clamour for him to make the Euro 2024 squad after 3 to 4 months of impressive performances. The young midfielder was included in the 26-man squad but didn’t feature and it feels like he’ll have to wait a little longer for his major tournament debut. He’s only won 4 England caps but he has been included in the last couple of squads. Wharton’s passing is the element of the game where he really excels. He has the 4th highest Passing Grade in the Premier League this season with an 85.6, he has the 5th best Pressured Passing Grade with an 88.1, meaning his distribution is better when there’s a player pressing him and he has a 91.1 for his Over the Top Passing Grade. All that to say, however, with the number of options Tuchel has available to him and looking at the player’s he’s used more, I think it’s likely Wharton doesn’t make the squad. Find Your Passport.

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Cole Palmer (3/6 Camps)‍

Palmer was one of the best players in the Premier League last season and had the unenviable task of trying to replicate that during this campaign. While he has fallen short in terms of performance and production (9 goals and 1 assist to last year’s 15 and 8) he’s still had a solid season. His Passing Grade is in the 87th percentile, whereas his Crossing and Dribbling Grades are 25th and 18th percentile, respectively. With those stats and the competition for places out wide, his role is most likely going to be behind the striker. However, there he’ll be competing with Bellingham, Rogers and Gibbs-White. Departure Lounge.

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Max Dowman (0/6 Camps)‍

Surely not. The 16 year old is one of the highest regarded talents in the Premier League but only 3 cameo appearances in the Premier League off the bench since making his debut in August surely can’t be enough to displace established midfielders. But the risk averse predictor in me remembers 17-year-old Theo Walcott being picked in the 2006 World Cup squad to experience a major tournament over Darren Bent who scored 22 goals that season. Could Dowman sneak in over another player intended to be used as an impact super-sub? Keep studying for your GCSEs but know where your passport is.

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Kobbie Mainoo (1/6 Camps)‍

Mainoo would have had little chance if Ruben Amorim was still in charge at United, but his case may have actually been boosted as it looked like he was going to be forced out had the Portuguese manager not been sacked 5 days into the January transfer window. Since then Mainoo has started the majority of United’s league games. Initially he showed a lot of the form that made him a heralded youngster a few years ago, but regressed to more standard performances as the season’s wore on. He earned 10 caps in 2024, the first year he represented England but didn’t get another cap until the final two games before the World Cup against Uruguay and Japan this year. His resurgence may have just come slightly too late however, with a number of midfield options and only two games to earn Tuchel’s trust. Book That Holiday.

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Wingers

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Marcus Rashford (5/6 Camps)‍

Another player for whom the World Cup would have been a long shot a year ago, he’s had a resurgence at Barcelona and become a player that Tuchel clearly wants to utilise, making 5 of the 6 squads. He has an 85.3 Shooting Grade in La Liga which is the third best in the league, second best among wingers in La Liga and is better than his closest challenger among England rivals for his position, Bukayo Saka (79.2). On The Plane.

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Jarrod Bowen (5/6 Camps)‍

Bowen has been a regular in England squads since his debut in 2022, quietly earning most of his 22 caps with substitute appearances. He has a 79.1 Shooting Grade which is good enough for the 88th percentile but his Crossing Grade has taken a step back from a 79.9 last season to a 73.3 this year. It still places him well above average but with the competition for places he may be one of the unfortunate ones to miss out. With his goalscoring ability and the lack of striker options there’s a very real chance he could be brought to play in that role. Find Your Passport.

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Phil Foden (3/6 Camps)‍

Another player who may just miss out due to competition and club game time. He lost his position as a regular starter at the beginning of 2026 and has had to feature off the bench for most of the run-in. He also hasn’t established a role under Tuchel for England either on the wing or behind the striker. His grades are solid, if not exceptional. Of the 10 skills he’s qualified for he’s above average in six of them, but only Passing is where he’s really excelled in the 91st Percentile of the league. Book a Taxi to the Airport.

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Bukayo Saka (4/6 Camps)‍

It’s surprising to think that Saka is still only 24 given how long he’s been a star for Arsenal and England. He already has 48 caps and 14 goals to his name and looks certain to add to them this summer as Tuchel’s favourite to play on the right wing. His grades this year show why he’s one of England’s most dangerous attacking options. 97th percentile in Ball Carry Grade, 97th percentile in Crossing Grade, 84th percentile in Dribbling Grade, 89th percentile in Shooting Grade and 86th percentile in Tackle Resistance Grade. Pretty much everything you’d want from your winger. On The Plane.

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Anthony Gordon (5/6 Camps)

‍Gordon looks like the current front runner to join Kane and Saka as part of the front three. He’s excelled this season in his key attributes with a 95th percentile Dribbling Grade and an 89th percentile Ball Carry Grade. His Shooting has also improved massively this season, going from a below average 62.6 to 78.2, good enough for 9th best among wingers in the Premier League. The only elements he’s lacked in has been his distribution, he’s slightly below average in Crossing Grade in the 37th percentile and respectably above average in Passing Grade in the 65th percentile, but that should be balanced out by Saka’s crossing ability on the other flank and Lewis Hall being able to overlap and deliver balls into the box. Gordon’s role would be to do what he does best and get at players which Tuchel has valued, evidenced by Gordon, Eze, Madueke etc. all being regulars under him. Departure Lounge

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Noni Madueke (3/6 Camps)‍

Whether Madueke makes the team could come down to whether they want Garner as a backup centre-midfield option and are willing to have Palmer/Foden cover as the 5th winger if needed or whether they want another out and out winger as their back up there. It could go either way. He’s in the 83rd percentile for Dribbling this season which could be handy, as his role would almost certainly be to come on late in games and look to make something happen. Book a Taxi to the Airport.

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Eberechi Eze (6/6 Camps)‍

Another to be called up to all 6 of Thomas Tuchel’s England squads, he’s performed excellently for Arsenal. The only blip came midway through the season when manager Mikel Arteta dropped him from the starting lineup, but since March he’s been regularly back in the first eleven. He has the flexibility to play on the wing or as a number ten and his grades show that he’s excelled in both of those roles this year. Of the 8 facets he’s qualified for, in 6 of them he’s in the 75th percentile of the league. He’s in the 96th percentile for Ball Carry Grade, 83rd for Passing Grade, 81st for Shooting Grade and 88th for Tackle Resistance Grade. With that form and those abilities he’d excel anywhere behind the striker. The competition is tough but I’d be pretty surprised if he wasn’t in the squad. Departure Lounge.

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Strikers

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Harry Kane (6/6 Camps)‍

Kane is the first name on the team sheet. He’s been England’s no.9 for twelve years, captain for the last eight and is consistently one of the best strikers and goal scorers in the world. He has a 99.6 Shooting Grade in the Bundesliga this year, the highest in any of the top five leagues in Europe, when Shooting under Pressure, he has a 98.3 Grade, the highest in any of the top five leagues in Europe. On Penalties, he has a 90.9 Grade which, you guessed it, is the highest in any of the top five leagues in Europe. He’s England’s 5th most capped player, England’s highest ever goalscorer and a World Cup Golden Boot winner. He’s the first man to have led England in a major tournament final since Bobby Moore in 1966, which is why it feels inevitable that if England are to win their second major trophy, it’ll be him lifting it. On The Plane.

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Dominic Solanke (2/6 Camps)‍

Solanke looked like he may have gotten the call up despite a difficult year. He’s only scored 3 goals in 15 games as Spurs have struggled and he missed four months of the season due to injury. However, a new injury has kept him out of the last four games and even if that wasn’t enough to dissuade Tuchel from bringing him, the former Liverpool and Bournemouth man might not recover in time for the World Cup anyway. It looks over for his World Cup hopes. Book That Holiday.

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Ollie Watkins (3/6 Camps)‍

He was consistently England’s second choice striker and became their hero at Euro 2024 scoring a last minute winner against the Netherlands in the semi-final. In all honesty, he probably should have started against Spain over an injured Harry Kane. Hindsight’s a wonderful thing. He struggled to begin the season with only 1 goal in 13 games before December, which initially cost him his place in the England squad. His form has improved since then but another dry spell between February and March meant that he didn’t do enough to earn a spot in the squad for the Uruguay and Japan games. His Shooting Grade is a respectable 78.1, the 9th best for strikers in the Premier League but it’s down on his 81.3 and his 81.2 when he was the third and second best striker at shooting in the league. His goals and a lack of competition from fellow candidates may have just opened the door enough that he’s got a chance. Book a Taxi to the Airport.

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Dominic Calvert-Lewin (1/6 Camps)‍

He made a slow start after his free transfer to Leeds but his run of scoring in six consecutive games earned him a call up for the March fixtures. However, he was sent home after the first game, almost certainly spelling out that he wasn’t in Tuchel’s plans. A 71.2 Shooting Grade puts him in a fairly average 54th percentile. Book That Holiday.

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Danny Welbeck (0/6 Camps)‍

He’s never been called up by Tuchel, in fact the last of his 42 caps for England came in 2018. However, his 13 league goals are the most he’s scored in a single season in his entire career, which began 18 years ago. Any other tournament year and he’d have no chance, but the glaring lack of options means he has an outside shot at being the surprise call-up. Find Your Passport.

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