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The US probably won’t start their A-team for both friendlies against Senegal and Germany, but the games are still opportunities to build momentumThe 26-man squad has been confirmed. The disappointing emails and uplifting WhatsApp videos have been sent. And so, the US men’s national team’s World Cup campaign begins in earnest.Much about the co-hosts’ impending tournament feels unrefined, although that may have been inevitable. Hosting the World Cup ensures a spot in the 48-team field, but robs a team of the qualifying gauntlet that can clarify who can handle the pressure and identify a group’s core. These issues were further compounded by the mid-cycle appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, with his initially thin grasp on his player pool leaving most of his tenure to assess individuals before he could refine a collective.We’re unlikely to see an A-team start both friendlies against Senegal (Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina) and Germany (6 June in Chicago), and Pochettino won’t want to reveal his entire gameplan before the group-stage opener against Paraguay on 12 June.“I’ve thought of it a little bit,” Pochettino said Thursday when asked if he knows his best lineup. “I am honest. The only thing that can change is that sometimes watching them in training, I think, ‘Oof. I was thinking in that but now I don’t see.’ [I have had the XI in mind since] before March. But we’ll see. I will let you know.”These shifts will be closely studied by the rest of Group D as they finalize their preparation. Still, a team’s final tune-ups can be crucial for refining rotations and building momentum.This is arguably the top priority. Pulisic is in a stretch of scoring futility that would make Job blush.From 1 January onward, Pulisic took 38 shots for Milan without a goal. In the USMNT’s March friendlies, he tried another six attempts without rippling the net. All told, he has played 1,164 consecutive minutes for club and country without scoring – just shy of 13 full matches.Surely, his dry spell has to snap before the tournament commences. And surely, it can be done without a second ill-advised experiment like the one against Portugal, when Pochettino gave Pulisic a half-time hook after he struggled in a rare start at center forward.Although Pochettino alternates between deploying a pair of wingers or two attacking midfielders in the channels, either approach can suit Pulisic. He has been a mainstay at left wing for the US, scoring most of his 32 international goals in that role. Since joining Milan, he’s been a threat as the right-sided attacking midfielder, getting more looks in width of the goal without needing to set up a shot with his dribble.He’s one of very few players who could start both games – unless he scores against Senegal, at which point rest may be more important if the slump has ended.While Pochettino contends that wing-backs are hardly defenders – a based take, having watched many wing-backs struggle when retreating to a full-back’s station – US Soccer listed 10 defenders in its squad announcement. Initial reactions (including this author’s) assumed that was a sign that this team will play with three center-backs and a pair of wing-backs rather than the program’s decades-long preference for a back four.In reality, both base shapes have operated very similarly under Pochettino.In possession, the team advances upfield in a 3-2-5. Both wide defenders are given license to join the attack. In a back four, this usually means one of the defensive midfielders drops deep to provide defensive cover, while a nominal winger or attacking midfielder withdraws slightly to accommodate the overlap. Out of possession, the US usually shift to a 4-4-2 or a 5-3-2, with Pulisic staying level with his striker and the other winger or attacking midfielder joining the holding midfielders to fortify the center of the field.By and large, nine of the selected defenders have obvious roles to fill in these shapes: six among the stay-back brigade, and three upfield advancers. The sole exception is Freeman, who has proved dependable in both approaches to transition phases.At last summer’s Gold Cup, Freeman mostly worked the overlap on the right, playing all but three minutes of the USMNT’s six-match campaign. That role is the natural fit for Sergiño Dest, who has reached the World Cup in good form after logging more than 2,000 league minutes for just the second time in his eight-year career. Freeman started three of Villarreal’s final La Liga games at right-back.Uncapped at this time last year, Freeman has since become one of Pochettino’s most trusted charges. He’s one of just four players to appear in all eight post-Gold Cup friendlies, along with Max Arfsten, Cristian Roldan and Folarin Balogun. These friendlies could clarify whether he enters this World Cup as Dest’s understudy or as another wide center-back – the latter of which may complicate Joe Scally’s path to minutes.The expanded 26-man squad affords teams greater flexibility to pick specialists or players who are unlikely to be 90-minute options. Game situations always have the most outsized influence on who and when checks in from the bench, but these friendlies may show a player or two who’s primed to serve as a super-sub.The most obvious candidate is Gio Reyna. His late-summer move to Borussia Mönchengladbach did little to help his playing time: he logged 520 Bundesliga minutes across 19 games (four starts). That’s narrowly ahead of how Borussia Dortmund deployed him in 2024/25 (350 minutes).The last time Reyna exceeded 625 league minutes in a season: 2020-21, when he earned 1,976 minutes playing alongside Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho.There’s a scenario in which Reyna logs more minutes in a hypothetical quarter-final run – remember, there’s a round of 32 now – than he did in a club season. But it’s more likely he’ll be among the first options off the bench to change a game against tiring defenders.Striker is another area to watch, with Balogun likely to start whenever available. The Monaco forward has rare quick-turn-and-shoot accuracy and can maneuver in transition at a similar pace to his most fleet-footed teammates. Without Patrick Agyemang, who logged the most minutes up top of any player under Pochettino but missed out on the World Cup with an achilles injury, Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright will jockey to be the chief alternative. Wright saw more action after the Gold Cup, with 132 minutes to Pepi’s 37, but Pepi’s pressing led to a consolation goal against Belgium.Entering the friendlies, Wright has scored seven goals from 20 caps; Pepi arrives with 13 international goals from 35 caps. Neither is unproven nor a wild card for this level. A timely goal or thankless work in buildup could earn them more minutes when crunchtime comes.

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ShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleLewis AdamsEssexEx-England goalkeeper Peter Shilton said he was too frightened to get help with his gambling addiction, out of fear it would leak in the press.The 76-year-old, who lives on Mersea Island in Essex, lost more than £1m betting on horseracing over 45 years, but he quit in 2015.He has now launched a charity to help other addicts, called Shiltons' Silverlining, and said using his platform was a "no-brainer"."It affects you in so many ways and it's a silent illness that's getting worse and worse," Shilton told BBC Essex presenter Ben Fryer.He is England's most-capped player with 125 appearances, and he played in the World Cup finals of 1982, 1986 and 1990 while also turning out for Nottingham Forest and Leicester City at club level.Shilton has long credited his addiction counsellor wife, Steph, with helping him to kick the gambling habit."Being quite well known, it's difficult [to get help] because you're frightened it's going to get out and somebody's going to [write] it in the press, it's going to go haywire," he said."That's why Steph was so good. She worked on me over a period of time until it finally clicked. It is a terrible, silent disease."The legendary goalkeeper, who famously conceded Diego Maradona's "Hand of God" goal in 1986, said his charity would help gamblers rehabilitate themselves and manage their debts, and offer prevention work.It has been backed by his former teammates Gary Lineker, Terry Butcher and Paul Parker, as well as cricket icon Graham Gooch.There are between 117 and 496 suicides associated with problem gambling every year, according to government figures.If you, or someone you know, has been affected by addiction, the following organisations at BBC Action Line may be able to help.Steph Shilton said those "heartbreaking" numbers inspired them to set the charity up."Peter just looked at me and said, 'We're not doing enough, we need to be doing more.' They're unnecessary deaths and it's so heartbreaking," she said.Shilton, whose club career also included playing for Southampton, Stoke City, Derby County and Plymouth Argyle, added: "It's so easy to get drawn in."It's always looked upon with the advertising as fun - 'Let's all get together and have a good time'."But there's a dark time to it, which we know, and that's why we want to help people who've reached a bad place."Do you have a story suggestion for Essex? Contact us below.Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

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Charlotte FC’s Tim Ream appears to be in pole position to lead the US on the field this summer, but there are many factors to considerIf you want to get US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino started, just use one word: leadership.The former Tottenham Hotspur manager is famously well-studied on the subject and there are no shortage of clips of him waxing poetic about it. He’s led players over hot coals, or had them press their neck up against the tip of an arrow and lean into it until it shatters. Ask Mauricio Pochettino about leadership and the words he’ll sprinkle into his answers will overlap heavily with late-night self-help ads, his sentences dotted with words like aura, bravery and self-determination. “I don’t want to spend too much time on this,” Pochettino said, laughing, when asked by the Guardian in March about his leadership style. He then spent roughly a third of his press conference unpacking his views. “Leadership is not something you can buy in a supermarket.”Pochettino’s job, of course, is to lead from the sidelines, and to be among the public-facing faces of the program. But on the field, leadership is largely the job of his captain. And ahead of the 2026 World Cup, there’s been no official announcement of who that will be.“Your guess is as good as mine, honestly,” said midfielder Tyler Adams, who captained the US at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. “I [couldn’t] care less. It’s a privilege and an honor, anybody that gets to wear the armband. But what I represent, how I lead, I think anybody that plays with me knows that I’m a leader, whether I’m wearing the armband or not. It is what it is.”Pochettino has rotated the captaincy throughout his tenure, handing the armband most recently to Christian Pulisic and Chris Richards in friendlies against Portugal and Belgium this March. But 38-year-old Charlotte FC defender Tim Ream has served as captain most often – 16 times out of Pochettino’s 23 games in charge.“He has the experience, he knows what it means to play in Europe and travel here (to play with the national team),” said Pochettino. “He has the values and the humanity and character to have the capacity to help the team day to day. In a national team you don’t need to do too much. You need to do the right things. Sometimes you need to say one word and sometimes you need to not talk, if you want to be a good leader.”Aside from Ream, relatively few of the US’s World Cup squad regularly serve as captain for their club team – and the few that do mostly play in MLS. Miles Robinson is often FC Cincinnati’s captain when fit, while Cristian Roldan is practically synonymous with the leadership of the Seattle Sounders. A handful of others have worn the armband for their clubs, but more occasionally: Alejandro Zendejas at Club América, Auston Trusty at Celtic, Antonee Robinson at Fulham, Weston McKennie at Juventus and goalkeeper Matt Turner with the New England Revolution.“Of course it’s important, who is captain,” said former USMNT attacker Jozy Altidore, who captained the US during a handful of World Cup qualifiers and friendlies. “You’re first one out of the tunnel, it’s very important especially in a home World Cup. But when I see this group I see a bunch of leaders. Maybe they didn’t start that way but now they’re most certainly leaders, in terms of how they’ve played at their clubs, how they’ve developed as young men … I think when you have a World Cup team, you’d like to think the 26 guys you’ve selected are all team leaders.”For all of his success with the national team, Landon Donovan only captained the squad in roughly 10% of his appearances, thanks to his tenure largely overlapping with defender Carlos Bocanegra, the program’s all-time leader in captaincies. Donovan captained the LA Galaxy for two different stretches and famously gave up the armband to David Beckham when he arrived in 2007, reclaiming it two years later. Donovan is a veteran of three World Cups.“In those tournaments, it didn’t really matter who was wearing the armband,” Donovan told the Guardian on Thursday. “It really didn’t. Almost everyone on the field was wearing the armband for their club team. Whether it was Carlos, or Claudio (Reyna), or (Jeff) Agoos, it didn’t really matter because there were at least six or seven or eight guys who wore the armband for their club team or who were leaders with their club team. The difference with this team is there actually aren’t many of those players. If you just went through the roster and put together a potential lineup, [you have a few] but that’s kind of it, right? I do think there’s more importance this time in who the captain is. My guess would be that it’s Tim Ream.”Ream has shied away from specifically addressing the captaincy, calling himself just another “cog in the machine” in an interview during Fox’ roster reveal earlier this week. Yet he’s proven to be Pochettino’s most consistent choice. Should he see action this summer, as he almost inevitably will, he will become the oldest player in the history of the USMNT to appear at a World Cup, narrowly beating 1994 World Cup veteran Fernando Clavijo by a matter of months.His standing within the group – Ream is widely liked and respected – is another reason he seems the safe money in terms of the captaincy. And there are other considerations, as well. At World Cups, captains are usually the players called to accompany a team’s manager to pregame press conferences that tend to draw the largest crowds. And on the field, this summer’s tournament will be the first in which captains will be relied upon as the primary mode of communication with the referee. In both cases, keeping a cool head is key.Ream certainly has that. But Pochettino frequently proved full of surprises. It’s entirely possible that he throws the captaincy elsewhere, perhaps sensing a shift in energy.“Leadership is not to score three goals or save three penalties,” said Pochettino. “It’s to make cohesion. It’s to provide the tools to the group to find the dynamic, to be alive, to feel the energy, to create energy. At the moment, though, who leads the national team is who needs to lead in every single team or in every single club or national team.”“It is the coach,” said Pochettino, laughing. “Sorry.”

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It comes as the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey officially launched an investigation into Fifa's practices.New Jersey attorney general Jennifer Davenport called the process a "gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity and impossibly high prices".She added there would be a "thorough investigation of Fifa's conduct" with world football's governing body subpoenaed to provide information.A subpoena compels a party to release specified internal documents or information.Davenport made a joint announcement alongside New York attorney general Letitia James and the New York City department of consumer and worker protection (DCWP).DCWP commissioner Samuel AA Levine said the body would be taking "allegations of blatantly deceptive conduct very seriously" and would look into allegations of "artificially inflating prices".In particular, Fifa has been asked to explain why tickets have "exceeded the prices for any previous World Cup tournament".Fans have reported they were "misled" about the location of seats, including through the creation of more expensive 'front' category tickets released after the initial sales.It is also alleged variable pricing through various phases had allowed Fifa to raise prices for about 90 of the 104 fixtures by an average of 34%.The investigation will consider how the ticket release schedule and public statements may have impacted prices.World Cup transport prices cut after fan backlashBut as of Wednesday, there were face-value tickets available for 86 of the 104 matches and all but 10 of the group-stage matches, for which the fixtures have long been known.The attorneys general in particular highlighted the cost of tickets for eight matches, including the final, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey."Being honest about ticket sales is not complicated," Davenport said. "It's an honour to host the World Cup but the event is not an invitation to exploit our residents and visitors."James said local residents "deserve a fair shot at affordable tickets"."No-one should be manipulated into paying sky-high prices for seats and fans should be able to trust that the tickets they purchase will be the ones they receive," James added.Levine said supporters should expect "transparency and fairness" when buying tickets for the World Cup."Reports of Fifa conduct in violation of the city's consumer protection law, including misleading fans about seat locations and artificially inflating prices, are deeply troubling," Levine said.The investigation comes after California attorney general Rob Bonta sent a letter to Fifa, external raising concerns about "potentially misleading ticketing practices" earlier this month.Local organisers have been at loggerheads with Fifa for the past few months over high costs.New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill previously criticised Fifa's refusal to subsidise transport at the event and insisted local taxpayers would not foot the bill.After initially announcing a train ticket would cost $150 (£111), earlier this month NJ Transit backtracked and reduced the fare to $98 (£73).Rail journeys from Penn Station in Manhattan to the venue - a distance of about 18 miles - are normally $12.90 (£9.50) for a return fare.Everything you need to know about the World Cup

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England have announced their squad for the 2026 World Cup.Thomas Tuchel named his 26-man squad on Friday, with England's tournament getting under way against Croatia on 17 June, before further group games against Ghana and Panama.Now that the squad has been announced, it is time to pick the line-up you want to see Tuchel deploy in the United States.The World Cup, which takes place across the US, Mexico and Canada, starts on 11 June.Meet the 26 players in England's World Cup squad'Tuchel's gambles and iron conviction position him as the anti-Southgate'

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580 CommentsBy the time the England World Cup squad was officially announced on Friday morning there had been more plot twists than an Agatha Christie novel. While the likes of Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Maguire had that feeling of a rug being pulled out from under them, Ivan Toney represents one of manager Thomas Tuchel's big reveals.The 30-year-old Al-Ahli forward has not featured for England for almost 12 months since making his only appearance under the German - and that was as an 88th-minute substitute in a defeat by Senegal at the City Ground.So having been left out of the past four squads, why has Tuchel decided to bring the forward back in from the international wilderness?The former Brentford striker was part of Gareth Southgate's squad at Euro 2024, when England lost in the final to Spain.And he is expected to play a similar role this time, as a back-up to Harry Kane, with all three of his appearances in that tournament coming as a late substitute when England were chasing the game.He also showcased his formidable penalty-taking qualities in the last eight, scoring from the spot in the shootout victory over Switzerland, when he found the net without looking at the ball as he stared down the keeper.Toney's record of 36 goals in 85 Premier League games equates to almost a goal every other game and he has been even more prolific in the Saudi Pro League, where he has plundered 55 goals in 62 matches over two seasons.For context, Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 53 times in 60 appearances in the same competition."[It was] also a bit of a surprise to us [his inclusion]," said Tuchel. "When it came down to all different kinds of scenarios he was back in the picture."I had fantastic feedback from his club coach [Matthias Jaissle], who was my player [when Tuchel coached Stuttgart's youth team], and I have a close connection with him, always fantastic feedback about his role there, about his ability, his fitness."'Tuchel's gambles and iron conviction position him as the anti-Southgate'This season, Toney finished second in the domestic scoring charts with 32 goals in 32 games - he evens boasts more assists and a better shot conversion rate than Bayern Munich forward Kane.Just what those goals are worth outside Europe's top five leagues is yet to be seen, but on numbers alone his record stands up to scrutiny against any English striker around.Given he is also one of only three centre-forwards selected by Tuchel, with Ollie Watkins also in the squad, it does not feel like a position that is overmanned given that 26 squad places were up for grabs.Previous Three Lions squads at major tournaments have at times included four or five personnel for the exact same position.The argument against his inclusion would ask why England need another forward aside from Kane and Watkins, given modern-day formational switches and a dearth of top-quality options for that position?Detractors would also argue Toney's place should be used to accommodate another of those multi-talented number 10s who have been left behind.However, former Chelsea and Paris St-Germain boss Tuchel could make a viable case for leaving behind Palmer and Foden, who have not hit previous heights in 2025-26.Instead he has gone for a player brimming with confidence and one that is accustomed to dealing with the intense temperatures that England will encounter this summer at the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada."We could see that he still collects the numbers. I think he has very special skills that could help us, the situations, scenarios when we are chasing a result," added Tuchel."I think he can be a very valuable addition to Harry Kane, he can be present in the box when we are pushing for a goal."He can take attention off other strikers, he has a natural presence within the box, he is a natural finisher, he can help us with set-pieces - he is very strong in there. Very good in using his body and not to forget, he is a world class penalty taker. He ticks some boxes that we wanted to be ticked."The Three Lions, who reached the semi-finals in Russia in 2018 and the quarter-finals in Qatar four years ago, face Croatia in their opening Group L fixture on Wednesday, 17 June (21:00 BST).Starting at Northampton, Toney moved to Newcastle but was sent out on six different loan spells before joining Peterborough. He scored in all four of the top divisions in English football before settling at Brentford in 2020.Toney scored as Brentford beat Swansea 2-0 at Wembley to win promotion to the Premier League in 2021. And it was at the Bees where he peaked, with 20 league goals in the 2022-23 season.Toney has, however, been a bit of a late bloomer. He was 27 years old when he won his first England cap. In comparison, Kane had 46 caps by that stage - while Wayne Rooney had 78.His career has also been marked with controversy. In May 2023 he was banned from playing for eight months for 232 breaches of the Football Association's betting rules.Toney scored on his return from his ban in a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in January 2024 and then netted for the Three Lions in a March friendly draw with Belgium.He was included in the England squad for Euro 2024 and played in the final against Spain, but was left out of the Brentford squad on his return because of transfer speculation.Toney opted to join Al-Ahli in August 2024 for £40m. It was reported that his four-year-deal with the Saudi side would earn him £400,000 per week after tax.

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Chief football writerPublished22 May 20262265 CommentsEngland head coach Thomas Tuchel has never hidden from taking tough decisions or throwing down wild cards, so his eyebrow-raising World Cup squad follows true to form.Whether it was leaving Jude Bellingham out of England's squad when Real Madrid's superstar wanted to be included, or announcing Harry Maguire was only fifth choice in central defence after an impressive return to international duty in March, Tuchel refuses to bend to the popular mood or a star system.If predecessor Gareth Southgate was criticised for being cloaked in conservatism and playing it safe, Tuchel's iron will in following his instincts has now effectively positioned himself as the anti-Southgate.As ever, Tuchel had iron-clad confidence in his selection, saying: "We have specialists with us. Specialists for all kinds of different scenarios - when we are leading, when we are chasing a game, a result."We've always said we want to be a strong set-piece team, so we have specialists for that and we want to be a strong penalty team, we have specialists for that."Tuchel has mentioned "proof of concept" in the past, which will come in a matter of weeks, but there is no doubt there is a heavy element of a gambler's roll of the dice in almost every position with this England squad.Why Tuchel wanted Toney back in England pictureToney the wildest of wild cardsIvan Toney's sudden return to England's squad after a year out is both a remarkable act of faith – or change of heart - on Tuchel's part as well as a condemnation of others who had claims on being Harry Kane's understudy.It is also another sign of what is surely England and Tuchel's biggest fear – how can they cope should misfortune befall all-time record goalscorer Kane?Quite how 30-year-old Toney has worked his way back into Tuchel's consciousness is intriguing, given he was summoned from Saudi Arabia a year ago for a World Cup qualifier away to Andorra then a friendly at home to Senegal, given two minutes as a substitute in the latter as England lost 3-1, then was dispatched never to be seen again.Until now. Until Tuchel laid out his World Cup masterplan.Toney has scored 42 goals for his Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli this season, not necessarily the acid test of international quality, but this pick has not come from left field. It has come from a different continent.It may be that Toney has the cool temperament required in the heat of World Cup combat, and he is a penalty expert of course, but why has Tuchel left his selection until now after trying Dominic Calvert-Lewin and ignored the claims of Brighton veteran Danny Welbeck?If he felt Toney was going to be part of his World Cup plans for those March friendlies, why not pick him then?Tuchel has come up with an emphatic answer to the question of whether Manchester City's Phil Foden or Chelsea's Cole Palmer should make his squad – neither.In reality, Foden or Palmer can have no complaints based on form this season. Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and Bournemouth's Alex Scott can be equally, if not more, aggrieved.And Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton, a smooth mover and passer but maybe not quite intense enough for Tuchel's liking, might just be the most disappointed of all.England's midfield has great talent, but could Tuchel not have made room for one more creator in that area rather than effectively pick two understudies to Harry Kane in Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, who deserves to go on current form, and Toney?Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson will form the bedrock of England's midfield, but there was certainly a strong case for either Wharton or Gibbs-White to make the plane.Kobbie Mainoo's renaissance under Michael Carrick at Manchester United in the second half of the season got him a place in the squad, as did his previous successes at club level."We have a huge chunk of youthfulness in the squad" said Tuchel. "We have six players who have won titles with the under-21s."We have Kobbie Mainoo, who is still young and has won his titles, we have Nico O'Reilly on top who is young and already won his medals."Further thorny issues will become clearer soon, such as who gets the nod between Bellingham or Aston Villa's outstanding Morgan Rogers in the number ten role.Tuchel has never swayed from his belief the influence Brentford's Jordan Henderson, who will be 36 on the day England play their first game against Croatia, has on his squad. It is hard, though, to see him getting many minutes at the World Cup.Once again, as he has done since he took over, Tuchel has conviction in his principles and has stuck to them firmly.He said: "The squad has a significant number of players that will compete for starting minutes and starting places, that also gives us the chance to rotate on a high level and a significant number of players who carry the sportive responsibility on the highest level."World Cup 2026: Every nation's squad as they are announcedThis will cut no ice with Tuchel, but his defensive selection will come under serious scrutiny.John Stones, on sheer class and ability alone, would usually start England's first game at the World Cup, but this selection is high-risk based on his recent fitness record.Stones, who leaves Manchester City after their final game this Sunday, has only started four Premier League games this season, 12 in all, so Tuchel's fingers will be crossed.He may even be forced to return to Maguire should Stones suffer any further injuries, but the defensive questions do not end there, even though he also has Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa, as well as Bayer Leverkusen's former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah, at his disposal.Reece James will be first choice right-back, but has had hamstring troubles again recently, while Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly can occupy the left while offering versatility.Tino Livramento, another who has had fitness issues, can play on both flanks, which begs the question as to whether the inclusion of Newcastle United's Dan Burn is one Tuchel gut feeling too many.He has struggled to shine for England and is only likely to be utilised as a left-back if needed, where specialists such as Lewis Hall, Luke Shaw and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who have looked at home on the international stage, have been ignored.Burn's giant stature would make him an obvious weapon for Tuchel at set-pieces, but he has looked uncomfortable in possession and against mobile forwards for England. He would be a target for the opposition should he play at the World Cup.Djed Spence's inclusion – another who can play left or right – will only fuel the argument about Trent Alexander-Arnold once more.Alexander-Arnold was never going to make England's World Cup squad, his ship sailed when he was not included in a 35-man squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, then overlooked for the previously self-exiled Ben White from Arsenal, when Tuchel needed replacements.The simple question, however, is whether Spence would offer more to England's squad than Real Madrid's Alexander-Arnold, in either a defensive or attack context?This, once more, is another Tuchel gamble.And as with all rolls of a dice, the stakes on whether you win or lose are huge for Tuchel – as we will discover once the World Cup gets under way.How Palmer and Foden lost ruthless Tuchel's battle for number 10 roles

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Only seven players aged 40 and over have ever featured in men's World Cup games in the tournament's 96-year history - and at least five more could be added to the list after being named in their home nation squads for this year's contest.Egypt's Essam El Hadary holds the record for the oldest player to ever appear in a World Cup match, at the age of 45 years and 161 days.Goalkeeper El Hadary made one appearance at the 2018 World Cup during a 2-1 group stage defeat to Saudi Arabia to set the record by more than two years.The top 10 oldest-ever World Cup players are all aged over 39 and a half years old.Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon, 43, is so far the oldest player to be named in a full squad this year by some distance. Should he feature in a match at what will be Scotland's first World Cup appearance in 28 years, the Hearts stopper would become the second-oldest player in World Cup history.Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, could also join the exclusive club of players to have featured at the age of 41 or above, should he play in what will be his record-breaking sixth World Cup. Only El Hadary, Faryd Mondragon, Roger Milla and Pat Jennings have made at least one World Cup appearance at that age.Japan defender Yuto Nagatomo, 39, would also rank among the competition's oldest-ever players, should he get match time in the 2026 tournament.Bosnia and Herzegovina striker Edin Dzeko, Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and Croatia midfielder Luke Modric are all 40 years old and are likely to feature at the World Cup.Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha will turn 40 prior to his nation's first ever World Cup match, so would also rank as one of the competition's oldest players if he features.Contact formContact formThe top 10 oldest players in World Cup historyEssam El Hadary - Egypt vs Saudi Arabia (25 June, 2018) – 45 years, 161 daysFaryd Mondragon – Colombia vs Japan (24 June, 2014) – 43 years, 3 daysRoger Milla – Cameroon vs Russia (28 June, 1994) – 42 years, 39 daysPat Jennings – Northern Ireland vs Brazil (12 June, 1986) – 41 years, 0 daysPeter Shilton – England vs Italy (7 July, 1990) – 40 years, 292 daysDino Zoff – Italy vs Germany (11 July, 1982) – 40 years, 133 daysAli Boumnijel – Tunisia vs Ukraine (23 June, 2006) – 40 years, 71 daysJim Leighton – Scotland vs Morocco (23 June, 1998) – 39 years, 334 daysDavid James – England vs Germany (27 June, 2010) – 39 years, 330 daysAtiba Hutchinson – Canada vs Morocco (1 December, 2022) – 39 years, 296 daysThis article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.

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203 CommentsIt is safe to say none of the 55 England players named in Thomas Tuchel's provisional World Cup squad will let their phones leave their sight for the next few hours.Whether they are in or out, by the time the England manager publicly announces his final 26-man selection on Friday, everyone will have been contacted - and told their fate.For some, the shock will be the fact they will be on the plane to the US, Canada and Mexico - for others, it will be hearing how they are staying at home.From the elation of making the cut to the despair of missing out, BBC pundits Micah Richards, Joe Hart, Theo Walcott and Stephen Warnock share their stories of what it is like to get a call before a major tournament with news that will make or break your summer.And, if you think being told face-to-face is any better, Martin Keown recalls the aftermath of arguably the most famous England squad omission of all.Who is pushing for late England World Cup call-up?City right-back Micah Richards had spent much of the past 48 hours partying after his side's famous 'Aguero moment' and now he was expecting more reason to celebrate."I'd been recalled for England's previous game, under caretaker manager Stuart Pearce, and played against the Netherlands in February," Richards remembered."I'd made 23 starts for City that season to help us win the league and one of my rivals for the England right-back slot, Kyle Walker, was definitely out of the tournament injured."I'd kind of convinced myself I was going to Poland and Ukraine, and I was at home, literally sitting and waiting for the call from Roy... but, when my phone rang, it was Pearce's name that flashed up."I thought, 'this is weird, why is he calling me?' He was my old City boss but also the England Under-21 coach at the time, and I didn't think it would be anything important, just that he would be wishing me luck at the tournament."Then he says to me, 'Hodgson's not going to pick you'. I didn't know what to say - I just wanted to cry. I look back now and think Roy should have called me himself."In the same conversation, Stuart said that Hodgson had asked me to go on standby, but he wanted me himself in his squad for the London Olympics. I couldn't do both."Pearce was very honest with me, and said there could be injuries that meant I still got the England call, but I decided to go where I would be appreciated, and go to the Olympics with him."The way it was portrayed in the press, though, I had said no to England. Especially when Gary Cahill got injured in a warm-up match and Liverpool right-back Martin Kelly, who wasn't even on the standby list, got called up for the Euros."Suddenly I was supposedly the one with the bad attitude, who didn't want to play for England or felt he was too good to be on standby - which was not true at all."I was at home, almost in tears and feeling so low, and reading reports that I had snubbed my country, when I would never do that."Roy never picked me again, of course. That was the end of my international career."When I first got in the England team aged 18, I thought I would end up with 70 or 80 caps. Instead I finished with 13, and my last appearance came when I was 23."World Cup 2026: Every nation's squad as they are announcedWith Wayne Bridge making himself unavailable following allegations his ex-girlfriend had an affair with Chelsea's John Terry, the choice for boss Fabio Capello came down to either Everton's Leighton Baines or Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock, who both made the provisional squad.When the group returned home from their pre-tournament training camp in Austria, it was still unclear who he would take."We were told we'd get a phone call one way or another," Warnock recalled. "We knew the call would come on the day the squad came out, from a certain number and before a certain time, because they would be announcing it straight afterwards. So I was at home, literally just waiting by the phone."To be honest, I wasn't expecting to go because in the two warm-up games we'd just played, against Mexico and Japan, I hadn't kicked a ball."My England career at that point was the seven minutes I'd played against Trinidad and Tobago two years earlier, in June 2008."I'd gone to Austria with an ankle injury that I'd picked up in Villa's last game of the season."I went on holiday but had a scan when I was away and then spoke to the physios when I came back and basically told them I am going to do everything I can to get in the World Cup squad."I told them to strap me up and I would limp through training for the first week. When I was in Austria I was having physio every hour of the day I could get it, and I worked on my ankle as much as possible."I don't know if that was being relayed to the management, but when I didn't play in either game, I thought that was me done, that Capello wasn't going to take me now."I remember exactly where I was when I got the call."I am divorced now but I was in the house with my now ex-wife and I went upstairs to my bedroom when the phone rang, because I just wanted to be on my own. I just remember walking downstairs saying 'I'm going!' and I was probably in a bit of shock."It was Franco Baldini [Capello's assistant] who rang and I have no idea if he called everyone else to tell them - I didn't know how it worked, and I didn't care!"Baldini just said, 'listen, you've had a great season, we knew what you were capable of anyway and we love your attitude - we think you will be perfect around the camp for training and things like that."'You know Ash is going to be difficult to budge, because he doesn't get injured and he doesn't not play, but we think you're the perfect back-up to him, in terms of your professionalism and everything else'."I was like, "yeah 100%, that will do me". I knew what my role would be anyway, so that was fine."While the good news came as a surprise to Warnock, a clue was already out there.The previous day, England kit manufacturer Umbro had sent muralists to the hometowns of every player in the squad to paint their shirt number in a prominent place as a play on their 'tailored by' slogan.For Warnock, that was a wall on the side of the O'Este restaurant at a busy crossroads in Ormskirk."When I told people I was in, everyone was like 'I saw that mural last night, and I didn't know what it was - it makes sense now'," Warnock added."I remember driving down to see it thinking, 'if only I'd gone past here last night, I would have known I was going!'"I didn't get to play in South Africa, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I just looked at it as if I had a front-row seat to the biggest tournament in world football."Giroud, Azpilicueta and McCarthy join BBC World Cup teamThis article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.End of X post by BBC 5 Live SportHe'd been having a difficult time of it at club level, but Joe Hart did not think his England future was in doubt as the 2018 World Cup approached.Sure, the inexperienced Jordan Pickford (two caps) and Jack Butland (seven) had started the previous two friendlies, against the Netherlands and Italy in March, but Hart had still been in the squad for those games, just as he had been since his debut in 2008.The 31-year-old had also played in all 10 qualifying games for Russia and with 75 caps was England's most experienced player. Even if he was no longer the outright number one, he was surely in the top three?Hart was looking forward to his fifth major tournament after World Cups in 2010 and 2014 and the 2012 and 2016 European Championships, when boss Gareth Southgate phoned up the day before his squad was announced, to tell him he was taking Nick Pope (zero caps) instead."I was packed and ready to go, and I got a phone call saying 'stand down'," Hart told BBC Radio 5 Live."I'd played all the way through to the World Cup and finished the season, but didn't finish it well - I was in and out for West Ham, which was probably my first season of doing that."I'd been in the squad since 2008, all the way through, and obviously played for a lot of years but then the tournament came and I got a call saying, 'you're not going' and that was it."Hart used some of his summer off to switch sports and play cricket for his boyhood club Shrewsbury,, external but still supported the Three Lions."I watched the World Cup but I didn't know how I was going to watch it, because there was an awful lot going on in my head and in my chest," he added. "When I get upset, my chest gets tight - that's my tell."But the tournament started and I saw all my guys that I loved to pieces and I just thought 'it's not about me, get over yourself - support the team as best you can'."It was harder for everyone else around me because the people I love realised I'd be hurt, I'd be sad. They obviously wanted to get behind the team but they didn't want to be seen doing that in in front of me."I just made it clear to everyone 'look, I'm over it, I'm over myself. Let's support them'. I didn't think that would be the end for me with England, but it turned out it was."Who are the oldest players to feature at a World Cup?Walcott had not played a single minute in the Premier League and had only taken part in 23 professional matches for previous club Southampton, scoring five goals.Eriksson had never seen him play live, but picked Walcott on reports from his scouts and after watching him train."I decided to take Theo this morning," Eriksson said when he revealed his squad. He admitted the selection was "a gamble" and on this occasion, Walcott was not given any advance warning.He was taking his driving theory test that day - he passed - so had to turn his phone off."I finished at 3pm and rang my dad," Walcott said in his first interview after finding out he had been selected."He said I was in the England squad and I didn't believe it. I was like, 'you're having me on' and my dad told me he didn't think it was true either."My first thoughts were, 'I can't believe this'. I was so shocked I couldn't say anything. I was so surprised, my eyes were coming out of my head."Walcott did not play a single minute in Germany but four years later he was seen as a key member of the Three Lions squad and widely expected to make Capello's selection for South Africa.This time he was playing golf with a friend and his cousin when he got very different news, and it was Capello, not his dad, who delivered it."I had the day off so I was on the golf course... and I got the phone call," Walcott told Arsenal's website."He just said, 'I'm sorry. I'm not going to bring you to South Africa, but I'll see you in Euro 2012 for the Euros'."I didn't know what to say at all. There are always disappointments in football, but this was my biggest one yet. I wanted the lads to do well because I am an England fan as well, so I said 'good luck' and that was it."Actually, I did have a tear to be fair, with my cousin and my mate. Then I played the best golf ever."What would it cost England and Scotland fans to go to World Cup?That is what Glenn Hoddle must have thought when he gave his players pre-arranged appointments in his hotel room at their La Manga base in Spain as he trimmed his England squad from 28 to 22 before the 1998 World Cup.But an admirable idea famously backfired when Paul Gascoigne finished a round of golf then discovered he was one of six players at the training camp who would be left out.Phil Neville, who had also just been told he was not going to France, was in tears and being consoled by brother Gary - who did make the squad - in the room next door when they heard Gazza react to his rejection by smashing the furniture up in Hoddle's room.In his own account of what happened, Gascoigne said: "I went mad, berserk. I lost my rag big time. I was shouting and swearing. I could not believe the injustice of it all. I gashed my knee as I kicked the door, I was crying and out of control."I didn't want to talk to anyone and I didn't want to listen to what Glenn had to say. There is nothing he could say."I wanted to be part of England's World Cup glory but he has destroyed my biggest dream."When Martin Keown walked into Hoddle's room a few minutes later, to find out he had made the squad, he had no idea what had just happened."We were all sat around the pool, waiting for our time to go to see the manager," Keown said. "If a player came back and collected their stuff, they were going to France. If they didn't, they were going home."I went into what was left of Hoddle's room after Gazza. When I was told I was going to my first World Cup, I was looking round wondering what had caused the wreckage."We didn't know exactly what happened at the time, because Hoddle didn't tell us."Maybe a phone call is the best option after all?Lewandowski misses out on World Cup - who else won't be there?Could England's set-pieces win them the World Cup?Dear England drama: 'A story of real hope' says writer