Thomas Tuchel is set to leave out Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire when he names his England World Cup squad on Friday.
Both players were included in Tuchel’s squad for the March friendlies against Japan and Uruguay, but Foden has endured an inconsistent season at Manchester City.
In a post on Instagram, Maguire said: “I was confident I could have played a major part this summer for my country after the season I’ve had. I’ve been left shocked and gutted by the decision.”
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Luke Shaw is also expected to be omitted despite being named in Tuchel’s 55-man provisional squad earlier in the selection process.
Newcastle’s Dan Burn and Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly are among those in contention to replace him in the final list.
AC Milan defender, Fikayo Tomori, is also expected to miss out, while Arsenal winger Noni Madueke is in line to be included.
Madueke would join Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice as part of Arsenal’s representation in the squad.
The absence of Maguire and Tomori could open the door for John Stones, although his injury record remains a concern for the coaching staff.
Tuchel is understood to still value Stones highly but is assessing his fitness carefully.
Chelsea defender Levi Colwill, recently returned from injury, remains under consideration.
Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson is expected to keep his place after becoming a trusted figure under Tuchel.
The World Cup begins on 11 June across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Foden has made 49 appearances for England, but has started just 22 Premier League matches this season, scoring seven goals and providing five assists.
Speaking earlier, Maguire said, “I think it would be my last World Cup for my country. I’ve been to two, I missed out on the Euros two years ago through injury, which just hurt a lot really.”
He added, “So I’m desperate to go, whatever role the manager would want me for.”
England will play warm-up matches against New Zealand and Costa Rica before opening their World Cup campaign against Croatia on 17 June, followed by fixtures against Ghana and Panama.
