Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold will have to watch the World Cup from home after Thomas Tuchel left the trio out of his 26-man England squad.
Harry Maguire, Adam Wharton, Morgan Gibbs-White and Luke Shaw are others overlooked for the summer as Sir Gareth Southgate's successor made an eye-catching first tournament selection.
Ollie Watkins and, most surprisingly, Ivan Toney earned recalls, but it is England's World Cup absentees and the leaks on the eve of Friday's announcement that provide the biggest talking points.
Furious Maguire took to social media to say he was "shocked and gutted" to miss out on a squad Tuchel told players about on Thursday, with the steady creep of information allowing onlookers to piece together the squad in advance.