England manager Thomas Tuchel has omitted Phil Foden and Cole Palmer from his provisional World Cup squad.
Instead, Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins have been selected as backup options to captain Harry Kane in attack, while Morgan Rogers has also secured a place in the squad.
Other players reportedly included for this summer’s tournament are Kobbie Mainoo, Tino Livramento, Noni Madueke and John Stones. Tuchel is due to confirm his final 26-man squad on Friday.
Among the notable absentees are Luke Shaw, Levi Colwill and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, although Ezri Konsa is still expected to be selected.
Harry Maguire has already confirmed he will miss out on the tournament. Posting on social media, the defender admitted he was “shocked and gutted” by the decision after believing his recent performances had earned him a place in the squad. He added that representing England had always been one of the proudest moments of his career and wished the team well for the competition.
The decision sparked strong reactions from Maguire’s family online. His brother Joe described it as “the worst decision” he had ever seen, while his mother Zoe said she was “absolutely disgusted.”
Meanwhile, Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner are also unlikely to feature in the final squad.
England open their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17, before taking on Ghana on June 23 and Panama three days later in their final Group L fixture. The squad will travel to the United States on June 1 for a training camp in Florida, where they are scheduled to play warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica.
