World Cup: England announce 23-man squad

Among those that missed out, one of the biggest names is Jack Wilshere.

The Arsenal midfielder’s form tailed off towards the end of the season, and combined with his injury problems, this was enough to convince Southgate to wield the axe. It is hugely disappointing for him, but an understandable decision.

Another major absentee is Joe Hart. Despite being England’s starting keeper in the last three major tournaments, his luck has run out. His form since leaving Manchester City for Torino last season has been poor.

He never quite locked down the starting spot for West Ham this season, and has looked shaky at best. Southgate made the right decision in dropping Hart. Yes, Butland, Pickford, and Pope are all inexperienced, but they are also all better goalkeepers.

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Jonjo Shelvey ended the season strongly for Newcastle, and will be aggrieved to not make the squad. No one in the current England setup has his passing vision, and this could have helped unlock the organised, international defences waiting in Russia. At they very least, Shelvey should have been named to the standbys ahead of Jake Livermore.

Chris Smalling is another that will be disappointed. In my opinion, he should have been included ahead of Gary Cahill, simply based on their performances throughout the season. Whilst Cahill has been in and out of the Chelsea side, Smalling has been a constant in Manchester United’s backline.