Where England’s 2018 World Cup stars are now with SIXTEEN players from team and standby list set to miss out on Qatar
ENGLAND have undergone quite the transformation since Gareth Southgate took over.
Southgate brought 28 players with him to his first tournament which saw England reach the World Cup semi-finals, with a number of them still crucial members of the team four years on.
But as many as 16 of the players who were a part of Southgate’s first tournament squad are set to miss out on the World Cup later this year.
Below we outline what has happened to each player since the Russia World Cup.
JORDAN PICKFORD
EVERTON stopper remains Southgate’s go-to-man between the sticks, starring at the 2020 Euros as England made the final.
Enjoyed a less productive time at club level as he narrowly avoided relegation with The Toffees this season.
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KYLE WALKER
REMAINED a key man at both club and international level despite the rise of a number of younger would-be usurpers.
Won nine trophies under Pep Guardiola since the 2018 World Cup, including three Premier League titles.
DANNY ROSE
INJURIES curtailed a promising career at the top level for the now 31-year-old.
Moved to Newcastle and then Watford after leaving Spurs in 2020 but hasn’t made a single appearance in 2022 for the Hornets.
ERIC DIER
PENALTY hero in Russia, but poor form saw him lose his spot in Tottenham’s team after the tournament.
New defensive options emerged and Dier lost his place, but he has made a resurgence at club level this season under Antonio Conte and could be an outside shout to regain a spot come November.
JOHN STONES
ONE of the few who has remained a key player in defence for England.
Like Walker he has won nine trophies at club level since Russia, and has diversified into a makeshift right-back for Guardiola’s City.
HARRY MAGUIRE
TRANSFERRED to Manchester United from Leicester City the year after the World Cup and became club captain under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Remains one of Southgate’s favoured options in defence despite some horrific form at club level this season which saw Man United finish with their worst ever defensive record in the Premier League.
JESSE LINGARD
STARTER in 2018, Lingard lost form and consequently his starting spot at both Man United and England as newer options emerged.
Enjoyed a purple patch on loan at West Ham in 2021 but is now set to be released by Man United.
JORDAN HENDERSON
LIVERPOOL club captain guided the team to a first Premier League title in nearly 30 years and won the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup and Club World Cup to go along with it.
Didn’t start at Euro 2020 but his qualities make him an integral part of the squad even when not playing. Southgate confirmed his omission from the most recent squad was to allow him to rest and because he didn’t need to know more about him.
HARRY KANE
ENGLAND’S captain and Tottenham’s talisman. He won the Premier League Player of the Season award in 2021.
Now extremely close to overtaking Wayne Rooney’s England record of 53 England goals, moving on to 50 with a penalty against Germany earlier this week.
RAHEEM STERLING
EURO 2020 star for England with three goals and one assist helping to drag England to the final.
Nine trophies at Man City also to boot. Remains one of the Southgate golden boys.
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JAMIE VARDY
RETIRED from international football after the World Cup.
Remains a key player for Leicester City and has won the FA Cup and Community Shield to add to his unprecedented 2016 Premier League title. Also won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2020.
KIERAN TRIPPIER
LEFT Tottenham in 2019 to go to La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid before returning to Newcastle last January.
Won La Liga with Atletico, and provided the assist for the opener in the Euro 2020 final, vindicating his selection by Southgate.
JACK BUTLAND
THIRD-CHOICE to Pickford and Nick Pope in Russia, his relegation from the Premier League with Stoke City that season saw his position in the England squad also leave him.
Left Stoke for Crystal Palace in 2020 but has been unable to dislodge Vicente Guita as the Eagles’ number 1, although he did appear nine times in the Premier League this season, keeping one clean sheet.
DANNY WELBECK
STRUGGLED for game time at Arsenal following the World Cup with a major ankle injury keeping him out for a large portion of the season.
Left the Gunners in 2019 to join Watford before joining Brighton a year later. Scored six goals in 25 league games for the Seagulls this season.
GARY CAHILL
THE SECOND international retiree from the 2018 squad.
Won a second Europa League at Chelsea before departing for Crystal Palace. Joined Bournemouth on a free transfer in 2021 but now without a club after being released by the Cherries.
PHIL JONES
AS was the norm before the World Cup, injuries blighted his career, and he has remained a Manchester United player all throughout despite his atrocious injury record.
Jones could finally sold by Man United this summer having made just 35 appearances for the Red Devils senior side since the 2018 World Cup.
FABIAN DELPH
AFTER a successful year as Man City’s left-back under Guardiola, the return of Benjamin Mendy saw Delph’s minutes cut significantly.
He was then sold to Everton in 2019 but has failed to nail down a starting role in the squad, and has made just 41 appearances for the Toffees since his switch.
ASHLEY YOUNG
YOUNG was Southgate’s first-choice left wing-back in Russia, but the emergence of Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell among others saw his time in the position soon fade out.
He left Man United for Inter Milan in 2020, winning Serie A before returning to England to rejoin former club Aston Villa, where he is a valuable squad player for Steven Gerrard.
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MARCUS RASHFORD
PERHAPS the most surprising one who could miss out on the next World Cup from this squad seeing as he was one of England’s star boys at the time.
Continues to play for Man United but missed a penalty in the Euros final and underwent major surgery on a shoulder injury which has seen him struggle for form since his return this season.
DELE ALLI
STRUGGLED to carry on the strong form which had earned him a spot with England that summer.
Lost his place at Spurs before transferring to Everton in January, but has still failed to find the reset button for his career there.
RUBEN LOFTUS-CHEEK
HAD a storming season following the World Cup but stagnated and has since lost his place in the England squad.
Went on loan to Fulham in 2020 but suffered relegation. Has since found a spot as a squad player in Chelsea’s midfield, making 24 league appearances last season.
TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD
THEN aged just 19, the right-back has since gone on to become one of the world’s football’s most effective creators, smashing records for defensive assisting numbers at Liverpool.
He’s won six trophies at club level but somehow remains down the pecking order in the England set-up with the likes of Reece James and the aforementioned Walker and Trippier keeping the 23-year-old down in fourth choice.
NICK POPE
ALWAYS second fiddle to Pickford in the England set-up regardless of club form, he has earned just seven caps since the World Cup.
Relegated with Burnley this season, he could be subject to a £40million move to newly-promoted Nottingham Forest.
TOM HEATON
THE GOALKEEPER on England’s standby list, he was usurped by Pope as the No1 at the Clarets due to injury and subsequently lost his place as a starter the following season as well.
Joined Aston Villa in 2019 before returning to Manchester United in 2021 to provide backup to David de Gea and Dean Henderson.
JAMES TARKOWSKI
RELEGATED with Burnley this season like Pope, he was also on the standby list for the World Cup.
Continued to be a leading presence for Burnley since the tournament but failed to earn any more England caps. A free agent this summer with a move to Everton said to be on the cards.
LEWIS COOK
ANOTHER player whose promising career has been blighted by injury and a subsequent lack of form coming off it.
He has failed to even make an England squad since Russia, but continues to play for Bournemouth where he helped them to earn promotion back to the Premier League this season.
JAKE LIVERMORE
YO-YO might be the best way to describe Livermore, who has been promoted, then relegated, then promoted, and then relegated again with West Brom all since 2018.
He has not made an England squad since the World Cup as better options in defensive midfield have emerged, namely Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips.
ADAM LALLANA
SQUAD player for Liverpool at the time, like Livermore he has failed to make an England squad since.
He left Liverpool in 2020 to join Brighton, where he has made 56 appearances, scoring just once.