Neymar suggests Southgate has made a selection mistake with his England squad

Neymar has hailed Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho as one of his two favourite English footballers - suggesting Gareth Southgate has made an error in not picking him in his World Cup squad.

Sancho's form at Old Trafford has been somewhat inconsistent this season with the 22-year-old starting 10 of Man United's first 11 Premier League matches, but he has since suffered fitness setbacks.

Sancho has struggled to replicate the excellent form he showed across three seasons at Borussia Dortmund, where he bagged 50 goals and provided multiple assists. That led to a long-awaited switch to United, but he has taken time to settle at Old Trafford.

Sancho has won 23 caps for England and was a part of the Euro 2020 squad that reached the final, but he started just one match during the tournament - an impressive display in the quarter-final victory over Ukraine.

The last time the winger played for England was in a five-goal victory away to Andorra in a World Cup qualification match back in October 2021. Despite hopes that he would be involved in this tournament's squad, he was overlooked by Southgate for selection.

Sancho found the net in early-season wins over Liverpool and Leicester for Manchester United but his performances were inconsistent from the left flank of a three-pronged attack. With Anthony Martial now back to fitness, Sancho's place in the side is vulnerable as Marcus Rashford has moved out to the left role in his absence and excelled, being included in England's squad.

Have Your Say! Was Sancho unlucky to be excluded from England's World Cup squad? Tell us what you think here.

Yet Neymar has named Sancho and Three Lions captain Harry Kane as his two favourite England stars, claiming that their "qualities" made him particularly appreciate those two players over others from the nation.

Neymar said in an interview with the Telegraph, after excluding Southgate's side from his favourites to lift the World Cup: "I forgot about England, but obviously they have a chance." When asked who his favourite English players were, he added: "I really like Kane and Sancho, they are two incredible players and I have a special love for them. I like players that have their qualities."

England start their World Cup campaign against Iran on Monday before taking on the `United States four days later and concluding their group stage against Wales the following Tuesday.

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