English FA reveals final squad in an unorthodox way

1966 World Cup winners name provisional squad as uncapped duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Nick Pope included.

England manager Gareth Southgate has named a 23-man provisional squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, with a few surprise names making the cut in a youthful-looking list.

The most notable inclusions see uncapped duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Nick Pope named, while Chelsea's Ruben Loftus-Cheek - who has spent the 2017/18 season on loan at Crystal Palace - also makes the squad despite having never made a competitive appearance for the Three Lions.

The most notable omission is the experienced Joe Hart, who has just concluded a challenging season at West Ham United, and was England's goalkeeper at the last three major tournaments: UEFA EURO 2012, Brazil 2014 and EURO 2016.

Southgate has named five standby players for Russia 2018: Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana, Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton, his club team-mate James Tarkowski, 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup-winning captain Lewis Cook and Jake Livermore of West Bromwich Albion.  

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Southgate said the 23 names he selected are "a squad which we can be excited about."

“It is a young group," he told TheFA.com, "but with some really important senior players so I feel the balance of the squad is good, both in terms of its experience, its character and also the positional balance.

“We have a lot of energy and athleticism in the team, but players that are equally comfortable in possession of the ball and I think people can see the style of play we’ve been looking to develop."

“The first call-up for Trent Alexander-Arnold is well deserved. When we pick young players, it’s not just because they are young, it’s because their performances deserve it."

All squads are provisional until the final list of 23 players is announced by FIFA, following their submission by participating teams, on 4 June.

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope.

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Gary Cahill, Fabian Delph, Phil Jones, Harry Maguire, Danny Rose, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, Ashley Young.

Midfielders: Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Jesse Lingard, Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Forwards: Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jamie Vardy, Danny Welbeck.

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On standby: Lewis Cook, Tom Heaton, Adam Lallana, Jake Livermore, James Tarkowski.

Notable Absentees: Chris Smalling, Joe Hart, Jonjo Shelvey, Jack Wilshere.