5 England players who should be given a chance at the World Cup

With the World Cup suddenly less than six months away and the club season more than halfway done, attention will soon turn to the international game, namely who exactly will make the World Cup squads for the top-ranked countries. With England desperate to make a good impression this time, the premium for squad places in Gareth Southgate’s team has never been higher.

While some players – the likes of Harry Kane, John Stones and Dele Alli – seem like guarantees to be on the plane to Russia, for others it’s not that simple. Their squad place could be hanging in the balance right now due to the form of players who haven’t been picked recently. And on the flip side, players who haven’t made Southgate’s recent squads could be making a strong argument for selection.

Here are five England players who should be given a chance at the World Cup.

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#1 – Jack Wilshere

Jack Wilshere simply must be in the England World Cup squad

England’s last four games have been both frustrating and encouraging, largely in equal measure. While the Three Lions were poor in their final two World Cup qualifiers despite winning, they played much better in the 0-0 draws with Brazil and Germany in November. The one thing they seemed to lack, though, was a creative spark in the middle. Many observers have stated that Jack Wilshere could be the man to solve this issue, but as of the last games, the Arsenal midfielder had gone ignored by Gareth Southgate.

Southgate’s reasoning did make sense – how could Wilshere be selected for England if he wasn’t playing for Arsenal? Since the beginning of December though, that’s all changed. Wilshere has returned to Arsenal’s starting line-up with a vengeance, starting almost all of their games, and he’s looked better than ever too, practically running the show from a new, deeper position in midfield.

England have been crying out for a player of Wilshere’s class from midfield – someone who can suddenly change a game with a defence-splitting pass without really thinking about it – rather than using blunter instruments like Jordan Henderson or Jake Livermore, and he could be the missing piece in Southgate’s puzzle. If he remains fit – that’s the only question mark really – then he absolutely needs to be on the plane to Russia and he needs to be in the starting line-up too.

#2 – Luke Shaw

Back in favour at Manchester United, could Luke Shaw regain his England spot?

When he first broke through at Southampton prior to the 2014 World Cup, it was expected that Luke Shaw would be the future first-choice left-back for England. But his move to Manchester United hasn’t exactly worked out – a broken leg at the start of 2015/16 sidelined him and then he fell out of favour with Jose Mourinho. This paved the way for both Danny Rose and Ryan Bertrand to supplant him in the England pecking stakes, too.

Suddenly though, Shaw seems back in favour with Mourinho – he’s been starting the majority of United’s recent games, and reports have even suggested that United have given up tracking Juventus left-back Alex Sandro because the Portuguese boss suddenly believes in Shaw so much. It’s a far cry from how he was criticised over his weight and attitude by Mourinho before.

So could he get back into the England reckoning? I think he ought to. He’s playing more often than Rose – who’s suffered all season with a knee injury – right now and I’d argue he has more to offer overall if he’s fit, too. He’s not quite as quick as Rose but his delivery on the ball is better and he offers more of an attacking outlet than his other rival Bertrand. Only two left-backs are likely to go to the World Cup, and judging on current form, Shaw should be one of them.

#3 – Jesse Lingard

Jesse Lingard has been in the form of his life recently

Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard has been a man on the periphery for club and country in the last couple of seasons, with many fans claiming he’s only been called up for England due to the club that he represents. But this season, something seems to have clicked with Lingard, and he’s been in the form of his life recently. He’s scored eleven goals in all competitions this season – more than he’s ever scored before - and more than Dele Alli has thus far too.

While it’d be hard to call for a place in the starting line-up for Lingard due to the almost telepathic relationship between Alli and England’s clear-cut top striker Harry Kane, a place in the World Cup squad could definitely be warranted for the United attacker. Alli and Raheem Sterling seem like guaranteed squad members, but outside of that, the attacking midfield berths seem quite open.

Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley have seen injuries restrict them to minimum playing time thus far this season and Marcus Rashford could be included in the squad as a striker, which means Lingard simply has to be in the running for a seat on the plane. The only drawback could be United’s signing of Alexis Sanchez, as Lingard suddenly may find his starting place gone. But if he keeps up his current form then he must go to Russia.

#4 – Joe Gomez

Joe Gomez was fantastic for England in their friendly against Brazil

Perhaps the most outstanding performer in England’s draw with Brazil in November was Liverpool defender Joe Gomez. The youngster has been a constant in Liverpool’s starting line-up this season, but he’s played at right-back for the most part as Nathaniel Clyne has been out with a long-term back injury. The likelihood of Gomez supplanting Kyle Walker or Kieran Trippier in that spot for England seems small, but a place in the squad as a central defender is definitely a possibility.

Gomez was simply fantastic against Brazil, and was named Man of the Match by the majority of observers and pundits. Not only did he show strength and courage in the tackle against some of the world’s best attacking players – including Neymar – but his ball distribution was excellent too, as he ended the game with an 87% passing accuracy. With Southgate favouring a three-man defence, suddenly Gomez’s chances of a place in the squad look even stronger.

Southgate clearly wants defenders who can pass their way out of trouble – the likes of John Stones and Harry Maguire have already proven they can do this, but in the Brazil game, Gomez proved the same, too. And with former England regulars like Chris Smalling and Gary Cahill seemingly unable to do this, then surely Gomez must be considered ahead of them in the pecking order now – experience be damned, he’s having a fantastic season and Southgate must pick on form.

#5 – Tammy Abraham

World Cup experience would be fantastic for youngster Tammy Abraham

Granted, Abraham has been on the shelf since December with a stomach upset and then a hip injury, and he hasn’t scored for struggling Swansea since October. But then few players have been scoring for Swansea anyway, and when he was given a chance for England in November’s match with Germany, the Chelsea youngster performed admirably despite not being able to find the back of the net.

Crucially though, the name of England’s main striker is already pretty clear – Harry Kane, the best goalscorer in the Premier League right now. And with Southgate apparently settled on a formation that uses a lone striker, the fact that Kane is clearly the first choice – and Jamie Vardy is still second – means that the England boss can afford to take a player who’s more one for the future than one for the present.

Abraham – a natural born finisher with predatory instincts in the box – is only going to get better with experience, and despite only scoring five goals this season thus far, he’s still ahead of Jermain Defoe, Andy Carroll and Daniel Sturridge in the goalscoring charts. Marcus Rashford can be expected to go as a striker/attacking midfielder, but if there’s a spot behind Kane and Vardy for a third striker, then Southgate should look to the future and take Abraham, giving him more vital experience.