Gareth Southgate announced his 28-man England squad on Thursday ahead of the World Cup in November, where Tottenham talisman Harry Kane and Newcastle star Kieran Trippier were among those included.
The pair have been regulars under Southgate since he replaced Sam Allardyce in 2016, as have the likes of John Stones, Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire.
Clearly, the 52-year-old has his favourites, although let’s take a look at a few England Under-21 prodigies who could force their way onto the plane to Qatar…
Ryan Sessegnon
The Tottenham No.19 has enjoyed a strong start to the season under Antonio Conte in a left wing-back role, scoring one Premier League goal in six outings.
Sessegnon has been named in the England Under-21 squad by Lee Carsley, and has never actually been capped at senior level, although we feel his position could earn him a place in the World Cup squad.
England are not blessed with many left wing-backs in their squad, and with Southgate a fan of that particular system, he could include the 22-year-old as a secret weapon.
Anthony Gordon
The Everton No.10 – who is a target for Newcastle – has also had an impressive start to the 2022/23 campaign.
Gordon has scored two Premier League goals in six appearances, emerging as something of a talisman for the Toffees after Richarlison left for Tottenham.
Like Sessegnon, the 21-year-old has never been capped at senior level for England, but if he keeps shining for Everton, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him named in the World Cup squad.
Conor Gallagher
At the moment, thinks are looking quite bleak for Gallagher.
The 22-year-old won four caps for England while shining on loan at Crystal Palace last season, but a poor start to the current campaign with Chelsea has seen him drop back into the Under-21 setup.
However, with a new boss in Graham Potter now at Stamford Bridge – a man who we feel will use Gallagher more effectively than Thomas Tuchel did – the Chelsea No.23 can certainly work his way back into Southgate’s plans.
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