Arsenal player and European Championship final starter

England face an uncertain future because of their manager, but some players should move away from the talent pool, including an Arsenal striker.

10) Tyrick Mitchell
Once England Having discovered that a possible solution to his left-back problem was simply not to pick one at all, Mitchell was always in great danger of not contributing to the two caps he earned in March 2022. At least Kyle Walker-Peters and James Justin offer the illusion of versatility, but each defender still occupies a spot on the far edge.

Two major tournaments have come and gone since Mitchell’s debut and there has been no serious indication that he has come close to making it into those squads. The consistent omissions have sown a seed that the Jamaica Football Association hopes will blossom into a change of allegiance. The theory persists that Palace’s full-back isn’t quite up to elite international standards, but he at least has the right shape for a gap England seem keen to dig for themselves.

9) Conor Coady
The England dressing room has not been the same since December 2022. Games and training sessions were much quieter and one cannot imagine the state of the squad’s WhatsApp group without its hard-working administrator.

For two years, Coady was the perfect traveler to England. Steve Holland named him his ‘Player of the Tournament so far’ ahead of the Euro 2021 semi-final, which goes some way to explaining his inclusion in Qatar’s World Cup team 18 months later. He didn’t play a single minute in either competition – those 10 internationals were spread across friendlies, qualifiers and Nations League games – but coaches felt they couldn’t do without his presence in a number of camps.

It is the kind of non-playing influence that Leicester will want to capitalize on in the fight for Premier League survival, now that the baton has long since been unofficially passed to England.

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8) Callum Wilson
The chance to become a goalscorer at the World Cup was there, but Wilson was right: the angle “closed” and Jack Grealish scored England’s sixth goal against Iran in the opening game of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, the percentage was.

But when Wilson expressed his belief that such selfless acts would be “repaid” in the future, he prepared himself for disappointment. The striker made just four consecutive appearances for England and was never in the starting line-up, while the penalty scored against Malta in June 2023 did a disservice to unused substitute Grealish.

A combination of injuries, his careless loss of a starting spot at Newcastle and the continued development of his fellow bootblacks Harry Kane probably meant England slammed the door before he was ready.

7) James Ward Prowse
“I’ve been in and out of the squad over the last few years,” was a creative way for Ward-Prowse to admit in March 2024 that he had not been selected by his country for 18 months.

A lot has changed since then, including at his club, but it seems doubtful whether an international future remains “in the back of my mind” for a player who has witnessed the transformation of the England midfield during his long layoff. Ward-Prowse’s set-piece skills alone were enough to earn him a provisional squad spot at the last two tournaments, but Messrs Trent, Bukayo, Cole and Phil have ensured that even that is no longer the niche it once was .

6) Tammy Abraham
Many have played fewer international matches for England abroad But it always seemed that Abraham’s international prospects would soon suffer from a lack of public exposure. Roma’s debut season brought 27 goals but only five caps, only two of which were in the starting eleven.

When that high bar inevitably and almost immediately became difficult to achieve at club level, the 27-year-old descended into irrelevance for England, only compounded by injuries as his Premier League-based contemporaries took advantage of the spotlight. As unlikely as it may seem that Abraham returns to his best, it doesn’t feel like it will make much of a difference to his position in England anyway.

5) Eric Dier
Paul Scholes might be surprised to learn this that Dier, who “played in front of Matthijs de Ligt” last season, has not yet played a single game for FC Bayern Munich in the 2024/25 season, even though his replacement has long since moved to Manchester United. Vincent Kompany handed out around half an hour of substitute appearances for the 30-year-old, who otherwise fulfills his role of keeping Harry Kane company wonderfully.

These limited minutes will obviously have an impact on his already slim chances for England. Dier’s last international match came at the 2022 World Cup and his last international appearance was in November 2020. He hasn’t come close to making a squad since joining Bayern.

Incidentally, Kane is the only player to have ever played more England caps for Spurs (84) than Dier (49). This feels incredibly wrong and incredibly right at the same time.

4) Ivan Toney
Enough precedent has been set to suggest that moving to Saudi Arabia does not necessarily mean the door will immediately close on a player’s career in England. Gareth Southgate stood by Jordan Henderson steadfastly – Some might argue that there is a flaw – as he swapped the Premier League platform for Middle Eastern money, and that loyalty might well have extended to another major tournament had he not suffered an injury in the run-up to Euro 2024.

But that was born of desperation, fueled by uncertainty about the country’s entire midfield, as well as the loyalty built over eight years and more than 50 caps. Toney doesn’t have the same managerial faith to rely on, nor does he lack positional depth to exploit.

England will soon have to part ways with Kane, but the answer does not lie in someone three years younger and whose Al Ahli career has seen a strike rate of less than one goal in every other game so far.

Lee Carsley offered a lifeline by saying: “It would be really interesting to go out and see Ivan play, see the level, see the pace and see the standard,” but The Ronald Koeman route seems to make the most sense here.

3) Jordan Henderson
Henderson, the selfless testator of how a Saudi move could ultimately affect England’s career, sought reassurances about his international future, was promised a fair shake, earned four caps representing Al-Ettifaq and lost one Place that he hasn’t even come close to reclaiming since November 2023.

There is a suggestion that Sunderland could give Henderson an olive branch so he can play for his country again, but that seems fanciful. He plays relatively often at a high level for Ajax; The problem is that England have moved on.

2) Raheem Sterling
“I love playing for England. It’s one of the best feelings you can ever have,” Sterling said in August, adding: “I’m looking forward to getting back into the England team, that’s for sure.”

In the same interview, he also explained that Enzo Maresca could “get the best out of me,” so the pressure was on not to ruin unfortunate career predictions.

The loan move from Arsenal theoretically increases the likelihood of a first call-up since the 2022 World Cup, but it would require a level of sustained form that Sterling hasn’t shown in years to excel in a crowded position. England have a ridiculous complement of these striker positions and a forced move back seems about as likely as success under Maresca at Chelsea.

1)Kyle Walker
There were natural opportunities for England to give up their Walker-shaped comfort blanket. This was claimed following a reported lockdown breach in 2020 Southgate would never choose right-back againbut when he returned it culminated in a sending off against Iceland later that year and Walker publicly expressed his “hope” that his international career was not over.

That was his 49th international match, with 42 more to follow. The final of the 2024 European Championship should actually have been the end for a player whose main strength is no longer as reliable as he needs to be. England are embarrassed that the right-back is rich and should start capitalizing on it.

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