With the World Cup around the corner, ESPN will bring you a list of players who are trending up and trending down for their inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad.
Tuchel will select a squad of 26 for the World Cup, which gets underway on June 11 and takes place in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
First and foremost though, he will name a squad for England’s friendlies against Uruguay and Japan on Friday, in England’s final camp before the World Cup.
England have been drawn in Group L, alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama and their group matches will take place in Texas, Boston and New Jersey.
Some names are guaranteed to be on the plane so long as they are fit — Harry Kane for example is a shoo-in to start up front assuming he is fit and healthy — but with the depth England possess, there are some players who are on the periphery and will need to play well to secure their place in the squad.
So, without further ado, we look at the players who are pushing for a spot in Tuchel’s squad, and those who are at risk of missing out.
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Trending up
Anthony Gordon, Newcastle
Until recently, Anthony Gordon had been suffering the same fate as Newcastle — struggling for consistency and often unable to influence matches in the same ways he has in previous seasons.
That has all changed, as the winger has taken his Champions League form, which has seen him score 10 goals in 11 matches, into the Premier League, where he has scored in consecutive games against Manchester United and Chelsea.
It seems likely on current form that Gordon will compete with Marcus Rashford on the left of the attack, giving Tuchel real options.
Nico O’Reilly, Manchester City
Any English player who starts week in, week out for Manchester City is likely to be a main contender to find their way into the England senior side.
That is the position Nico O’Reilly finds himself in and the 20-year-old’s versatility will also be a major asset to Tuchel.
O’Reilly has now started in seven of City’s last eight matches (missing the draw with Nottingham Forest due to injury) and has played at left wing, attacking midfielder, centre midfielder and left back — highlighting just why Tuchel will fancy taking him.
Max Dowman, Arsenal
Hear us out…
Max Dowman may only be 16 years old but he just looks at home playing senior football.
In just 43 minutes of Premier League football for Arsenal, Dowman has a goal and an assist and he scored two goals in both matches he played in the UEFA Youth League.
He seems to be one of those players who just makes things happen and with some of his main contenders struggling for form, should he end the season well, Tuchel may have no choice but to look at the teenager for some youthful exuberance in his squad.
Trending down
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Leeds
Dominic Calvert-Lewin emerged as a late contender to be part of the England squad after finding some form for Leeds but as the outsider, he needs to keep impressing to take away the position of Harry Kane’s understudy from Ollie Watkins.
The 29-year-old scored in six consecutive Premier League matches between 29 Nov. and 28 Dec., notching seven goals in that time as Leeds picked up form.
But since then, he has managed just two goals in 11 games and his missed penalty in the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace will have done nothing to help either his chances of selection or Leeds’ chances of survival.
Phil Foden, Manchester City
Phil Foden, like Calvert-Lewin had a real purple patch of form from the end of November until mid-December, bagging six goals and an assist in four matches.
Since then though, his form has fallen off a cliff and in Manchester City’s last 10 Premier League matches, Foden has started only three of them, not even coming off the bench against Liverpool and Leeds.
It will be of concern to Tuchel that Pep Guardiola appears to have lost faith in Foden and with so many options across the midfield and wingers, Foden’s lack of involvement may be his downfall.
Myles Lewis-Skelly, Arsenal
A year ago and Myles Lewis-Skelly seemed destined to start for England at the World Cup. But fast forward a year and he would arguably be a surprise inclusion.
Falling behind both Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapié for Arsenal, Lewis-Skelly has seen almost all of his minutes come away from the Premier League.
In fact, in the league, he has started only once all season, against Brighton in December and he has not come on in any of the last 10 Premier League matches. Lewis-Skelly is undoubtedly a quality player, but with O’Reilly, Lewis Hall and even Luke Shaw playing week in-week out for their sides, he is plummeting down the pecking order and fast.
