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England's £300m omitted XI boasts star with over treble Rashford's goal tally

talksport.com, 18 March 2025, 12:34
Thomas Tuchel not only raised eyebrows with his selections in his first England squad - but also with his omissions.

Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson were notably recalled to Three Lions duty ahead of the World Cup qualifiers with Albania and Latvia later this month.

Rashford, who has returned to form on loan at Aston Villa, hasn't featured for England since March 2024.

Meanwhile the inclusion Ajax midfielder Henderson, whose last cap came in November 2023, has sparked huge debate with many feeling there are better options than the 34-year-old.

High-profile stars such as Conor Gallagher, Adam Wharton and James Maddison were omitted by Tuchel in favour of Henderson.

Discussing the ex-Liverpool skipper on The Sports Bar show on talkSPORT, former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy said: "That is the biggest head-scratcher for me."

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He continued: "I don't want to pile in yet, but I can't get my head around the Henderson one, and that's no disrespect to Jordan Henderson - I think he would be probably be as surprised as anyone."

His co-host and ex-Tottenham star Jamie O'Hara added: "I just feel like it's very harsh on players like Conor Gallagher.

"He scored against Real Madrid the other night, he got a standing ovation when he came off, he played brilliant.

"He works his socks off, he's got experience now. How's he not got in?"

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In what is a squad marred by injuries with Bukayo Saka, John Stones, Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins and Harry Maguire all unavailable, Tuchel has still left out a number of highly-rated stars.

talkSPORT.com has taken a look at a star-studded XI made up of omitted players, which according to Transfermarket, is valued at around £304million.

Despite Tuchel bizarrely calling up four goalkeepers, Newcastle shot-stopper Nick Pope was not one of them.

And he showed the German what he was missing out on with some key saves in the Magpies' historic Carabao Cup final triumph over Liverpool last Sunday.

At right-back is Arsenal's Ben White, who Tuchel has revealed is ready to return to England having deemed himself unavailable under Gareth Southgate's tenure.

But Tuchel decided not to call White up this time around, along with centre-backs Jarrad Branthwaite and Tyrone Mings who have impressed of late at Everton and Aston Villa respectively.

Meanwhile versatile Tottenham full-back Djed Spence is another that can count himself unlucky following the injury picked up by Newcastle's Lewis Hall.

Atletico Madrid fan favourite Gallagher would then feature in the middle of the park alongside Crystal Palace's Wharton - both of whom were named in England's Euro 2024 squad.

Playing in a more advanced role is Spurs playmaker Maddison.

The 28-year-old has impressed this season - chipping in with 11 goals and seven assists in all competitions - and at £50m, is the most valuable player in this omitted XI.

Gunners starlet Ethan Nwaneri then features on the right wing, with this England squad coming too soon for 17-year-old.

Like Branthwaite and Wharton, he has been included in the Under-21s - a decision that Tuchel could regret.

Prior to his squad announcement, ex-Watford striker Troy Deneey was adamant he had to be included, while talkSPORT presenter Adrian Durham declared it would be a 'sackable offence' to leave the youngster out.

On the opposite side of the front three is Manchester City's Jack Grealish, but with the 29-year-old without a Premier League goal from 16 outings this term, it's no surprise he has been left out.

Leading the line is Al Ahli striker Ivan Toney, who has been scoring for fun in Saudi Arabia.

Since swapping Brentford for the Gulf nation last summer, Toney has banged in 22 goals in all competitions - scoring 12 times in his last nine league games.

Of the England players selected, only captain Harry Kane has scored more goals [32] than Toney this term.

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The 29-year-old has outscored Rashford [seven], Jarrod Bowen [eight], Phil Foden [ten], Anthony Gordon [nine] and Dominic Solanke [11].

But having departed Europe, there seems to be no chance of Toney earning a recall in the near future.

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