Gareth Southgate‘s squad for upcoming EURO qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia excludes a host of top performing England players, according to data from Sofascore.
There were precious few surprises in the roster announced on Thursday, save for the continued absence of Raheem Sterling. Many England fans have accepted that Southgate will persist in his selection of Kalvin Phillips, Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson.
While the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka are the consensus first picks on the team sheet.
But amidst the 25 players chosen there are plenty more who can feel hard done by to not even get a look in as next summer’s European Championship approaches.
Here Mail Sport reveals the best performing English players so far this season, according to Sofascore. And there are a few names guaranteed to surprise.
Gareth Southgate announced his latest England squad for matches against Malta and North Macedonia
England are gearing up for next summer’s European Championships where they will be one of the favourites for the tournament
Nick Pope has been in fine form for Newcastle since his return to full fitness this season
Goalkeepers
Jack Butland 7.13, Nick Pope 7.12, Wesley Foderingham 7.08
Only Harry Kane enjoys more devotion from Southgate than Jordan Pickford. Whether his form at club level is good, bad or indifferent, the Everton stopper will start in goal for the Three Lions.
That makes the England‘s manager’s choice of Aaron Ramsdale and Sam Johnstone more understable. But going off form, Rangers keeper Jack Butland should be the wearer of the No 1 jersey.
The former Stoke and Manchester United stopper has kept 7 clean sheets in 11 Scottish Premiership games since his move in the summer.
Newcastle’s Nick Pope can count himself unfortunate not to be challenging Pickford for a starting spot considering his achievements at club level in recent years. And Sheffield United Foderingham has made the most saves in the Premier League.
Rangers duo Jack Butland (right) and Connor Goldson (left) have been two of the best performing English players so far this season
Wolves defender Craig Dawson has never received a senior England call-up despite his continued dependable performances in the Premier League
Defenders
Kieran Trippier 7.44, James Tarkowski 7.31, Connor Goldson 7.24, Kyle Walker 7.23, Harry Maguire 7.15, Craig Dawson 7.13, Ben White 7.10
To be fair to the England boss several of his stalwarts feature in the list demonstrating that his faith is not always misguided. Harry Maguire’s recent run in the Manchester United team has silenced talk about his selection, while Walker, Trippier and Tomori continue to impress for their clubs.
However, Everton’s Tarkowski and Rangers defender Connor Goldson are two names unlikely to receive a call-up anytime soon. Goldson has formed part of the Glasgow giants’ solid defence alongside Butland. Meanwhile, Tarkowski has played every minute of the Toffees Premier League campaign.
Wolves defender Craig Dawson also features in the list following a consistent period of dependable defending in the top-flight. The 33-year-old has never received an England call up and he’s unlikely to a this stage.
Arsenal’s Ben White is the other defender who missed out on Southgate’s squad. The 26-year-old has not been selected since he left the World Cup in December.
The England manager said he has a ‘different profile’ to his other options at full-back, adding: ‘He’s doing a good job for his club, he’s just behind a couple of others in the reckoning at the moment.’
There was no space for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer as Southgate played it safe with his squad
James Ward-Prowse also missed out on the squad despite turning in good displays for West Ham following his move from Southampton in the summer.
Midfielders
Jude Bellingham 8.29, James Maddison 7.90, Cole Palmer 7.59, Conor Gallagher 7.44, Jordan Henderson 7.43, James Ward-Prowse 7.43
Again Southgate has selected several of the top performers in this list. Real Madrid and global superstar Jude Bellingham leads the way ahead of James Maddison, who has made a brilliant start to life at Tottenham.
Conor Gallagher has surprised many at Stamford Bridge with performances that continue to earn him starts for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. His Chelsea team-mate Cole Palmer cant count himself unfortunate to miss out but he’ll certainly feature in future England squads especially after his part in the U21s summer success.
As for Jordan Henderson, how does one really assess the level of competition in the Saudi Pro League? At least he’s playing football, unlike Phillips who Southgate finally admitted he’ll like to see get more game time.
And then there’s Ward-Prowse who will find it hard to get into the England team as long as Southgate keeps picking Henderson and Phillips. Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold managed to make the upcoming squad despite not making the list, but it’s unlikely anyone is calling for their omission in favour of the West Ham midfielder.
Raheem Sterling was the most high-profile omission from Gareth Southgate’s squad
Anthony Gordon will likely star for the Three Lions in years to come but, like Palmer, Southgate opted against including the youngster in this squad
Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored three goals since returning from injury in September
Forwards
Harry Kane 8.10, Bukayo Saka 7.59, Raheem Sterling 7.59, Ollie Watkins 7.30, Anthony Gordon 7.23, Dominic Calvert-Lewin 7.03
Several of the names here pick themselves, again showing that England have a strong roster brimming with in-form talent. Kane continues to sparkle in Germany, Saka dazzles for the Gunners and Watkins looks like a new man under Unai Emery.
The obvious omission that will dominate the headlines is the absence of Raheem Sterling, a forward who looks to be getting back to his top form. Why Southgate would keep faith with the 28-year-old when he was playing poorly and not pick him now when he’s excelling is something only the England manager can answer.
Southgate insisted that the door remains open for the winger, as it does for Gordon – who, like Palmer, will be a fixture in England squads of the future.
Calvert-Lewin on the other hand, has enjoyed a run in the Everton team and has reminded all of his abilities when fit. Despite his talents, its likely Sean Dyche and maybe even Calvert-Lewin himself would appreciate sitting out the fixtures and continuing to manage his return.
Sofascore are a sports data-based company generating player ratings using a ‘sophisticated algorithm’ that rates each player’s performance out of 10 each game.
