Only half of the 26 places appear nailed-on and some players benefited from missing the Uruguay and Japan games
Jordan Pickford remains the undisputed No 1. Harry Kane is irreplaceable up front. Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson look certain to start in midfield, nobody has emerged as a realistic challenger to Bukayo Saka on the right and Jude Bellingham’s hopes of grabbing the No 10 spot were done a world of good by other challengers failing to impress against Japan and Uruguay.
It has been a messy, unstructured camp for Thomas Tuchel as he finalises his preparations for the World Cup. Marc Guéhi wore the captain’s armband during the loss to Japan and is emerging as the senior centre-back. Elsewhere, though? There are more questions than answers. John Stones goes if he can prove his fitness, but there can be no guarantees with the centre-back after his latest injury. Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford did not play well against Japan and Uruguay, but lack rivals on the left wing. Jordan Henderson was poor against Uruguay, but his leadership is prized by Tuchel as he looks to build a brotherhood. Dean Henderson looks like the No 2 goalkeeper. Morgan Rogers has credit in the bank after a strong end to 2025. But this is going to be a short section; the squad is not in a good place.
