Yesterday the former England international named his 26-man squad that will seek to win just the country’s second World Cup title.

Reece James of Chelsea and Trent Alexander-Arnold of Liverpool were overlooked and this brings into question their defensive depth.

Southgate has also included Harry Maguire, and this has raised some eyebrows as he has been dropped by his club, Manchester United.

In a welcome move the Leicester City City midfielder James Maddison has been included  along with Newcastle United United striker Callum Wilson.

Southgate, who played in the 1998 World Cup in France, feels that they can go further than the semi-finals.

“We've wanted to make sure we have the balance right. In this day and age squad is more important than ever, with five subs you can change almost half your team,” said the manager who led England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

“You want different things at different stages of matches and at different stages of the tournament.

“We've had to cover a couple of players that aren't fully match fit, so having 26 meant we were able to take some risks we weren't able to with 23.

“We think we have the cover we need, we are lighter on depth in some areas than others in our country, but we think we have everything covered.”

England are in Group B for the World Cup with Iran, the USA and Wales.

Goalkeepers - Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders - Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Conor Coady (Everton), Ben White (Arsenal)

Midfielders - Declan Rice (West Ham), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), James Maddison (Leicester City), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)

Forwards - Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United)

Morgan Piek OFM Sport