England World Cup squad: Gareth Southgate names official 26-man side for Qatar

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank has called on Ivan Toney to be patient with his chances for England but believes it is “impossible” there is a more in-form striker in England after Harry Kane.

Toney, 26, was omitted from Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad on Thursday for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The former Newcastle striker has led Brentford valiantly from the front since joining in 2020 and his performances have resulted in equally impressive output.

However, Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson and Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford were selected ahead of him as backups to Kane.

Steve Cooper knows better than most just how good Phil Foden can be for England in a major tournament and is backing the Manchester City forward to be a star at the World Cup.

Foden, who has been named in Gareth Southgate's squad for the Qatar tournament which starts next week, was one of the heroes as England won the under-17s World Cup in 2017 under Cooper.

He was named the player of the tournament, scored two goals in the final and put in a performance in the semi-final against Brazil where Cooper said he was the most Brazilian player on the pitch.

The 22-year-old only played a fleeting part at Euro 2020, but Cooper, now managing at Nottingham Forest, says Foden is ready to deliver on the biggest stage.

"There is no doubting Phil's ability, he is showing now at Man City that he can produce on a big stage and he was doing that for England with my time with him," Cooper said.

"He scored some really important goals, scored in the Euros finals for the 17s, I remember him scoring some really important goals in the World Cup, including a couple in the final.

"The performance he gave in the semi-final against Brazil was just fantastic. He played against Brazil and he was the most Brazilian player on the pitch.

"He was showing then that he could produce big moments in the big games and he has continued doing that. Like them all now, he wants to go and do it at the World Cup."

What tactics do England use? What is the USA’s weakness? Which quirk should we look out for from Wales?

The 2022 World Cup is nearly upon us and The Athletic's Liam Tharme has looked at each team’s playing style, strengths, weaknesses, key players and highlighted things to keep an eye on during the tournament.

So how will England fare in Group B, which features four top 25 FIFA-ranked nations?

Gareth Southgate had to navigate several recent injuries to players as he made his selections for England's World Cup squad.

Reece James and Ben Chilwell have missed out on the tournament entirely, while Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips have made the cut as they race to regain full fitness.

With this World Cup taking place in the middle of the European club season, many have wondered whether pre-tournament injuries will keep more players out of the tournament than usual.

The Athletic has dived into the debate, Go Further below to read our analysis.

Harry Kane is one of three England players, alongside team-mate Eric Dier and Jude Bellingham, to have already played more than 2,000 minutes this season.

No one else in Gareth Southgate's squad has reached 1,800 minutes yet.

Ahead of Kane starting for Spurs in their Carabao Cup loss to Nottingham Forest last night, Tottenham assistant coach Cristian Stellini said it is not the club's duty to think about his fitness for the World Cup.

When asked today about Harry Kane being fatigued, Southgate smiled and responded "I'm sure he is tired."

(Photo: Getty Images)

The Brentford head coach has expressed his dismay at Ivan Toney's exclusion from Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad.

Kalvin Phillips is back. And after seven weeks on the sidelines following shoulder surgery he was… well, pretty rusty.

But the most important thing for England right now, and Manchester City eventually, is that he was back on the pitch.

Phillips’ rustiness was understandable, of course. Not only has he been out for seven weeks, but he had barely played for City before that anyway: he has three official appearances, two of them coming after he came on in the last minute.

In most instances against Chelsea, he was tidy enough. He got the ball and he gave it to somebody else, but whenever he tried something more expansive, like a sweeping ball out to the right, or a cross-field pass to the left, he often lost possession.

Go Further below to read Sam Lee's full analysis of Phillips' return.

(Photo: Getty Images)

Newcastle United hadn't been represented in an England squad for a major tournament since Michael Owen in 2006, but that changed today as three of the club's players - Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier, and Nick Pope - were selected by Gareth Southgate.

Three players stands as the club's most representatives for England at a major tournament since 1998, when Alan Shearer, David Batty and Rob Lee went to the World Cup in France.

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The Manchester City midfielder has recovered from his injury just in time to make the World Cup squad.

Brendan Rodgers has revealed James Maddison was in his manager’s office at Leicester City’s training ground when the midfielder found out he was included in England’s World Cup squad.

Gareth Southgate rang Maddison to tell him he had made the cut due to previous speculation suggesting he was going to be left out.

Maddison, 25, missed a call from Southgate but then managed to speak to the England manager before training with Leicester with an extra spring in his step.

Rodgers, speaking of Maddison’s inclusion, said: “He spoke to Gareth and then came out full of the joy of the world. A great moment for him.

“It is wonderful news for James and his family, and everyone here at Leicester. I am also delighted for Gareth to have that talent available in such a great tournament. I think his level of consistency, worth ethic and talent that have been proven over the last few years has swung that decision for him because he is a fantastic player and one of the best players in the Premier League.

“I am delighted for him and also his team-mates, because without them it is also difficult to play to that level. I have seen him want to prove the point to himself that he wants to keep improving and developing. I sense that desire to improve and be the best he can be. When I spoke to him this morning anticipating either way, because he obviously didn’t know, we spoke about the next World Cup.

“If he got the decision or not it was about progressing and developing, and he has got that mentality to do that. The most important thing for James, having got just one cap before, was just getting there. I think when he gets there you never know what might happen in a World Cup. A bit of luck could go your way, but he will have training sessions and opportunities to show his whole package. There are other top players there but he is in the mix.”

(Photo: Getty Images)

Kane took home the Golden Boot in Russia in 2018, could he repeat that performance in Qatar?

Gareth Southgate has selected several players who haven't been appearing regularly for their clubs recently, for one reason or another, as well as two players that haven't played for England in three years:

• Before playing 41 minutes in the Carabao Cup last night, Kalvin Phillips had played just 16 total minutes since June, in part due to injury.
• Kyle Walker hasn't played since suffering a groin injury in the Manchester derby on October 2.
• Harry Maguire has made only one start for Manchester United since early September.
• Conor Gallagher has yet to play a full 90 minutes this season.
• Callum Wilson and James Maddison haven't played for England since 2019.

The Brentford forward has been on fantastic form this season.

This World Cup will be the second major tournament for the 21-year-old.