The predictions that FourFourTwo made in 2021 regarding England’s starting eleven for the 2026 World Cup were not entirely accurate.
Friday marks the beginning of the Three Lions’ World Cup qualifying campaign, which will begin with a match against Albania at Wembley Stadium.
Following his appointment as manager on January 1, this will be the first game that Thomas Tuchel will be in charge of being in charge of.
The German recently signed a contract that will keep him in England until the World Cup, which will be his sole focus as he strives to add a second star to England’s shirt. The contract is for a period of 18 months.
Gareth Southgate led the Three Lions to the quarterfinals in Qatar in 2022, but it is abundantly clear that Tuchel will only be satisfied with the Three Lions winning the tournament in 2026.
As part of his first squad, he has chosen to include both seasoned players like Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker as well as younger players like Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, and Morgan Rogers. He has also chosen to include players who have recently been called up to the team.
Fans are already beginning to speculate about the kind of team that Tuchel might select for England’s World Cup team in the event that England qualifies for the tournament as anticipated.
When the following summer arrives, Tuchel’s selection will be influenced by a number of factors, including injury, form, and specific skill sets. As a result, it is highly likely that it will have a different appearance than what many of us could have predicted.
However, in the year 2021, FourFourTwo made an attempt to make a prediction regarding the players who might be playing for England in the next five years. The following is what they went with, as well as the current positions of each player involved:
Toby Henderson, Dean
It was predicted by FourFourTwo that Dean Henderson would take over as England’s number one player in the year 2026, replacing Jordan Pickford.
In light of the fact that Henderson has had a successful season at Crystal Palace (he was still playing for Manchester United at the time the prediction was made), and Tuchel has promised a clean slate when it comes to the goalkeeping position, this is not something that is even remotely possible. However, it is still difficult to imagine Pickford being removed from his position.
This is Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Alexander Trent, who isArnold remains one of Liverpool’s most important players even after four years have passed; however, despite the fact that it appears that he will be called up for the upcoming season, injury permitting, the primary concern will be the club in which he is currently training.
Real Madrid is reportedly showing a significant amount of interest in the right-back, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the summer.
In the year 2021, it was a fairly safe bet to anticipate that Ben White, a rising star from Brighton, would be a regular member of the England team in the following five years.
When it comes to England, however, he is not currently in the picture. White walked out of the 2022 World Cup and has not played for England sinceward, despite the fact that he has been in outstanding form as a right-back for Arsenal. This decision was made after White refused to play for England under Gareth Southgate, who was reportedly involved in a disagreement with assistant coach Steve Holland.
On the other hand, Tuchel has made it possible for a recall to take place, despite the fact that a recent injury has eliminated any possibility of a call-up at this time.
A. Guehi, Marc
Another star player from England who is destined to compete in the World Cup is Marc Guehi.
The player from Crystal Palace is in competition with Harry Maguire for a position on the left side of England’s central defence. Due to the fact that Maguire is absent from this camp due to an injury, Guehi has the opportunity to stake his claim on the position.
The R. S. Sessegnon
A report from FourFourTwo described Ryan Sessegnon as a “attack-minded full-back” in the year 2026, with the ability to “thrive down England’s left flank.”
According to Jose Mourinho, the 21-year-old player was a member of Tottenham’s squad at the time, but his defensive abilities prevented him from reaching his full potential.
The subsequent managers of Spurs did not have a lot of faith in Sessegnon, and as a result, he went back to his former club Fulham, where he was coached by Marco Silva, during the summer.
The left-back is not yet something that should be written off just yet because he is beginning to exhibit signs of improvement this season.
A. Rice, Declan
Since the year 2021, Rice has steadily improved his performance, making him yet another player who is destined to be selected for the World Cup.
His playing style has been altered at Arsenal from that of a midfielder who would dominate in both boxes at West Ham. However, considering that he has remained fit despite the Gunners’ terrible injury record, it is possible that this change brought about the best possible outcome. According to the United States, he ought to be an automatic starter.
This is Jude Bellingham.
Once more, it was not overly difficult to anticipate Jude Bellingham’s meteoric rise to the top of the industry.
In the year 2020, the midfielder announced his intention to sign with Borussia Dortmund. Three years later, he would make the move to Real Madrid. Now, he is considered to be one of the best midfielders in the world, and he will play a crucial role for England in the World Cup.
A. Saka, Bukayo
During the year 2026, it is highly probable that Tuchel will place a great deal of faith in Bukayo Saka, provided that he is in full physical condition.
If Saka hadn’t suffered a hamstring injury while playing for Arsenal in December, he would have been included in the first England squad that the German had ever assembled.
The 23-year-old player is getting close to making a comeback, but fans will be praying with all their might that this is the end of his serious injury problems. This is especially true when considering the amount of time Mikel Arteta has spent playing him over the course of the past few seasons.
A. Foden, Phil
Over the course of the past few seasons, Phil Foden has been a vital component of Manchester City’s domestic and European victories; however, he has never been able to achieve the same level of success with England.
Gareth Southgate frequently used him on the left side of the attack, but he hasn’t been able to pull up too many trees in the number 10 position either. It is possible that a change in manager is exactly what he requires, but it is certain that Foden will travel to the United States regardless.
The Mount Mason
In October, when Tuchel was officially announced as the new manager of England, Mason Mount would have been an obvious choice to return to the team under his leadership.
Following his most recent stint on the sidelines, which lasted for a total of four months, the midfielder has finally returned to Manchester United’s matchday squad against Leicester. Since signing with Manchester United in 2023, the midfielder has been plagued by injuries for the past year’s worth of time.
Mount was a regular in England squads prior to his move, and given his success at Chelsea under Tuchel, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him back involved by the summer of next year at the very least, provided that he is able to maintain his fitness condition.
I am Mason Greenwood.
Mason Greenwood was a regular starter for Manchester United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in October 2021. According to Solskjaer, Greenwood was making significant progress with the club.
However, it has been reported that he has submitted an application to switch his international allegiance to Jamaica, which means that he will not be able to play for England again. This is a definitively negative outcome.
Since October 2020, when he was sent home along with Foden for violating COVID-19 restrictions, the striker from Marseille has not participated in any matches for the Three Lions.
After that, he was taken into custody in January of 2022, and he was subsequently charged with attempted rape, assault, and coercive control respectively. The charges were dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in February 2023. The CPS stated that “the combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light meant that there was no longer a realistic prospect of conviction.”
In an interview with reporters earlier this week, the chief executive officer of the FA, Mark Bullingham, stated that Greenwood had not been rendered unavailable for selection since the decision made by the CPS; however, Southgate made the decision not to select him.
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