England manager Thomas Tuchel announced his final World Cup squad on Friday, leaving out several well‑known players.
The selections were confirmed after a series of phone calls with players on Wednesday and Thursday, during which Tuchel outlined his tournament plans for the competition held across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
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High‑profile omissions include Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer, Manchester City attacker Phil Foden and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire.
Tuchel opted to include Al‑Ahli striker Ivan Toney and Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins as backup options for captain Harry Kane.
Tottenham full‑back Djed Spence secured the final defensive spot over Real Madrid right‑back Trent Alexander‑Arnold.
The midfield selection features Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson and Kobbie Mainoo.
The defensive line relies on John Stones, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi and Jarrel Quansah.
"It’s hard to please everyone," Tuchel said. "We have to pick a squad we love and really believe in.
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If there are doubts you don’t play on the same level. Who delivered for us, who set the standards, who were the drivers?
The connections have to be there. It is about energy and connection and trust."
The manager explained his selection process regarding players who failed to make the final cut from the provisional list.
"I respect them as players and personalities. All of them deserved a call‑up for the 55‑person longlist.
To reduce it was difficult. In the phone calls I felt the emotion.
In the end we went back to the evidence we had," he added.
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Scott, Rio Ngumoha and Josh King will travel with the England squad to Florida next month for training buildup to fill in for Arsenal players participating in the Champions League final.
Key Squad Decisions
- Exclusion of Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Harry Maguire
- Backup options for Harry Kane: Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins
- Final defensive spot: Djed Spence over Trent Alexander‑Arnold
- Midfield core: Henderson, Rice, Anderson and Mainoo
- Defensive line: Stones, Burn, Konsa, Guéhi and Quansah
