Manager Gareth Southgate also selected Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford and Newcastle striker Callum Wilson, Manchester City full-back Kyle Walker and Arsenal defender Ben White. But AC Milan centre-back Fikaio Tomori, Brentford striker Ivan Toney and West Ham striker Jarrod Bowen miss out. England face Iran in their World Cup opener on November 21 (13:00 GMT). They are joined in Group B by Wales and the United States. Manchester City midfielder Calvin Phillips, despite only recently returning from two months out with a shoulder problem, is in, as is centre-back Harry Maguire, who has struggled to get a game for Manchester United this season. However, Maguire’s team-mate Jadon Sancho has not been included in the squad.

England team

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal) Defenders: Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Eric Dier (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Conor Cody (Everton), Ben White (Arsenal), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Calvin Phillips (Manchester City) Forwards: James Maddison (Leicester), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford (Manchester ). United)

Maddison’s form was rewarded

Maddison helped Leicester climb off the bottom of the table and out of the relegation zone Maddison’s inclusion is a reward for his superb form for Leicester this season. He has been instrumental in the Foxes’ revival after their poor start to the season and has six goals and four assists in 12 Premier League games. His only cap for England came almost three years ago today – in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Montenegro, when he played 35 minutes. “He’s playing really well,” Southgate said.
“He’s a good player. We’ve always said he’s a good player. He’s earned the right. We think he can give something slightly different to the other attacking players we have. “He plays as well as any of the attacking players in this country and is a little bit different from the others.”

We think we have everything covered – Southgate

Walker has proved his fitness to Southgate after undergoing groin surgery and being sidelined for more than a month. The England boss also believed in Phillips despite the midfielder’s injury problems this season. Phillips, who underwent surgery on his shoulder, returned to action as a second-half substitute in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday. Rashford has not featured for England since the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy, but the Manchester United forward has scored seven goals in all competitions this season. Newcastle striker Wilson, who has scored six goals in 10 games this season, joins Tottenham’s England captain Harry Kane as the Three Lions’ key forward options for the World Cup. But, like Brentford’s Tony and West Ham’s Bowen, Roma striker Tammy Abraham has been overlooked. “We wanted to make sure we got the right balance of the squad,” Southgate said. “At this time the team is more important than ever with five substitutes. You want different options for different times of the matches and different phases of the tournament as well. “We had to cover some players who are not fully fit, so having 26 players means you can take some risks. “We think the balance is there. We think we have everything covered.”

“A great day but some disappointment”

Southgate says he has spoken to all the players who lost a place in the squad to explain the reasons behind his decision. The 52-year-old has yet to speak to everyone who has been included but has informed Maddison of his return to the England squad. “I spoke to James this morning,” he said. “There was a lot of speculation and we decided a few weeks ago that he would be in the team. “I haven’t had a chance to speak to Calum. My priority these days is hard and sad news. “The nature of these conversations reminds you how much it means to a player to go to a World Cup. It’s a great day, but we had some disappointment.”