Jamie Carragher names his England World Cup squad as Arsenal pair miss out
Jamie Carragher has picked the England squad he hopes to see go to the World Cup this summer, with a couple of Arsenal stars missing out.
Thomas Tuchel will take 26 players across to the tournament in USA, Canada and Mexico this year, with England looking to win their first World Cup in 60 years.
Barring injury, there are some nailed on picks, from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, to midfield mainstay Declan Rice, to captain and record goal-scorer Harry Kane.
However, there is plenty of competition for places in the starting XI and the squad as a whole elsewhere.
The second half of the season will create huge debate over who should make the final cut, with some players struggling for game time for their clubs, which may well cost them for their country.
Two players in that category are Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke at Arsenal, who Carragher expects to miss out on the final cut.
Competition is especially rife among the forward line behind Kane, with Tuchel picking from a string of high class wingers and number 10s.
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Jamie Carragher’s England 2026 World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, James Trafford
Defenders: Reece James, Lewis Hall, Luke Shaw, Tino Livramento, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Trevoh Chalobah, Harry Maguire
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson, Elliot Anderson, Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton
Attackers: Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden
Explaining his favoured players in those positions, Carragher said: ‘Cole Palmer is not a certainty, but he is a wonderful footballer. It is not going well for him at Chelsea with injuries, but remember his performance against PSG in the Club World Cup final. He was out of this world. He has scored in a final [for England, Euro 2024]. He goes.
‘For me, Phil Foden goes too. But you couldn’t play them both [Foden and Palmer] in the same team. I think Rashford, and I had a decision… I don’t think the outsiders have done enough. I decided to go with Anthony Gordon – he has been the go-to guy. He needs to add more goals, but him ahead of [Noni] Madueke, who I don’t think will play enough football.’
Leaving out Eze and Madueke, along with the Jarrod Bowen among others, Carragher’s picks going forward were: ‘Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers, Phil Foden.’
This was with just two outright strikers in Kane and Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
‘I am going to go with Ollie Watkins,’ he explained when choosing his deputy for the Three Lions captain. ‘[Dominic] Calvert-Lewin is in fantastic form, but Watkins is playing for one of the top teams in the country, did really well at the last tournament, and I don’t think there is much between them.’
Arguably the biggest surprises in Carragher’s squad selection came in defence, where John Stones and Nico O’Reilly missed out, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw made the cut.
‘I looked at the left backs and O’Reilly has done brilliant,’ he said. ‘But it is the glaring position – I am a huge fan of Lewis Hall. I was looking at Lewis-Skelly… I thought he would be playing in this team, but he doesn’t play for Arsenal.
‘I would just go with Lewis Hall and Luke Shaw. He [Shaw] has that experience as well. And I am a big fan of Tino Livramento – he can play both sides – and I would put Trent in there. He would be one of the wildcards, not for the fact he is the right back, but for his quality. I am not thinking he can play right back against a top winger, but I would have him as a wildcard who you can bring off the bench.
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‘John Stones has been the best English centre-back of this generation and he is so unfortunate with injuries. We have got Livramento in the squad, who struggles with injuries, but he is almost in there as a squad player. With Stones, I feel he has to play enough football. I hope I am wrong.
‘I know Dan Burn is highly thought of, but I am a fan of Chalobah. He has been fantastic for Chelsea – he has emerged as the leader there. Out of those I go with Chalobah, and with the outsiders… I think if Harry Maguire can stay fit and build a partnership with [Lisandro] Martinez [at Manchester United], I would take him before I take Dan Burn. He has the edge in terms of as a player and experience.’
England have just two friendlies remaining before they go to the World Cup in June, taking on Uruguay and Japan in March.
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Article source: https://metro.co.uk/2026/01/27/jamie-carragher-names-england-world-cup-squad-arsenal-pair-miss-26549543/