Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher successfully predicted 24 of the 26 England players Gareth Southgate has selected to travel to the World Cup.
Three Lions boss Southgate announced his squad for Qatar on Thursday afternoon, and surprises were few and far between. However, the inclusion of Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher certainly prompted some raised eyebrows.
The 22-year-old has four England caps to his name but has played a bit-part role for the Blues this season, coming off the bench in 10 of his 17 appearances in all competitions and memorably scoring a last-gasp winner against Crystal Palace in October. Southgate has seen enough from Gallagher to warrant taking him to the Middle East this winter, which Carragher did not see coming.
The other decision which the former Three Lions defender did not foresee was the one to take Newcastle striker Callum Wilson to provide back-up for Harry Kane. The 30-year-old has been in brilliant form for the high-flying Magpies this season, chipping in with six goals and two assists in 10 Premier League appearances to help the Tyneside club go third in the table.
Instead of Gallagher and Wilson, Carragher predicted Brentford marksman Ivan Toney and Roma centre-forward Tammy Abraham would get the nod. Toney, like Wilson, has been a standout performer in the top flight this season, scoring eight times and assisting twice in 13 appearances.
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Abraham, meanwhile, has seen the goals dry up during his second season with Roma, only finding the back of the net four times in 19 appearances in all competitions. Southgate confessed the 25-year-old has hit a tricky patch of form at the worst possible time for his World Cup ambitions as he explained the decision to omit him.
"Tammy has had a poor run of scoring form at the wrong time," Southgate said. "It's not a case where we're three to four weeks away from the finals, we're 10 days, so form could be more important. We don't really know where they are until we see them [the players] face to face, on the training pitch, medical issues we're not completely aware of."
England's World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford ( Everton ), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale ( Arsenal ).
Defenders: Harry Maguire (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kyle Walker (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Trent Alexander-Arnold ( Liverpool ), Eric Dier ( Tottenham ), Conor Coady (Everton), Ben White (Arsenal).
Midfielders: Declan Rice ( West Ham ), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount ( Chelsea ), Kalvin Phillips (Man City), James Maddison ( Leicester ), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea).
Attackers: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Phil Foden (Man City), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jack Grealish (Man City), Callum Wilson (Newcastle).
