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Who should make England's squad for this summer's World Cup? Three Lions lose at home to Japan in final friendly before tournament Is there an over reliance on Harry Kane? Brighton's Danny Welbeck proving popular alternative amongst fans Italy miss out for the third time in a row as Sweden and Czech Republic qualify Have your say with the form below Written by Adwaidh Rajan, Craig Nelson, Tasnim Chowdhury & Saffie Yates. Football is a game of opinions, is it not? We have a few more England forwards to go through, but here is a heads up that we will shortly be turning our attention to the opinion of BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil Mc Nulty, who has picked the 26 players he would choose for England's World Cup squad. Here's his squad, we will let him explain those choices in a moment. Mc Nulty's England World Cup squad: GOALKEEPERS: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, James Trafford. DEFENDERS: Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Tino Livramento, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Nico O'Reilly, Lewis Hall. MIDFIELD: Jude Bellingham, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers, Declan Rice, Adam Wharton, Kobbie Mainoo. FORWARDS: Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer, Danny Welbeck, Jarrod Bowen. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say I think the people asking for Rashford to play as a striker must have never watched him play as a striker for Man U - he was awful and he admitted he doesn't like the role. P Davies Marcus Rashford shouldn’t even be in squad let alone as a replacement up front of Kane. Kevan Click 'Get Involved' to have your say Rashford has to be England's other centre-forward. He is in form and playing well. Nobody else in the current squad frightens defenders like he does. Foden and Calvert-Lewin are too inconsistent, like Gordon! Robert Rashford looks sharpest of the rest. Nick England appearances: 70 Goals: 18 Assists: 7 Marcus Rashford was England's brightest attacking player in the 1-1 draw against Uruguay. Though deployed on the wing by Thomas Tuchel, he came central to receive the ball a lot as Djed Spence provided the width on the England left. One excellent run in the first half with the ball where he carried it nearly the length of the pitch showed he still has the pace. He was the one England player who looked like he could make something happen every time he got the ball against the south Americans, however, he did not have much impact in a substitute appearance against Japan, after being given the final 20 minutes. However, Rashford has scored four goals and created eight assists for Barcelona in La Liga, and also bagged five goals and four assists in the Champions League. Click thumbs up if you think Rashford would be Kane's ideal deputy, or thumbs down if you don't. .. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say Watkins should be Kane understudy. Welbeck is great but his game is too similar to Kane and if we need a goal and a different approach then he isn't the answer. Watkins will run the channels, provide space and would link up well with Rogers. Andrew Watkins and Welbeck surely have to go. Both experienced at this level. Watkins offers a completely different profile which gives Tuchel tactical options and was our semi-final hero at the Euros. Welbeck is an experienced, old-fashioned target man. We don't need to mess about, get some experience on the plane! Sam Kane is obviously the best choice, but Welbeck and Watkins are suitable backups. Welbeck's age does not bother me, he is physical and finds good positions. We've got plenty of creation to support him. Watkins is a feel-good option, I trust him to give 100% for England. Harry England appearances: 20 Goals: 6 Assists: 2 Ollie Watkins' hopes of going to a first World Cup are hanging in the balance. The Aston Villa forward was left out of the 35-man England squad for friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, having scored just one goal in his past nine Premier League matches. In Villa's 2-0 win against West Ham just before the international break, Watkins showed Thomas Tuchel just what he is missing as he ended a six-match goal drought in the league. He provided a constant threat and was unlucky not to find the net with his five efforts, twice dragging shots just wide. But in contrast to last season's tally of 17 goals and 14 assists, his 10 goals and two assists in all competitions this campaign look meagre. Wakins knows he is running out of time to impress the England boss and will also know his only way to get back in Tuchel's good books is by scoring for his club. Click thumbs up if you think Watkins would be Kane's ideal deputy, or thumbs down if you don't. .. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say Kane, Watkins should be locked in. Last spot between Solanke and Welbeck, it is clear we need a focal point and a genuine striker. Jamie I think the last two matches have demonstrated that Tuchel cannot expect Solanke or Calvert-Lewin to step up to fill Kane’s shoes. Welbeck knows where the goal is, would feed off crosses from the wingers and would not need time to fit into the system. He is match ready. Nick I'm not sure why Ivan Toney has been forgotten. Plenty of other nations use players from the Saudi Pro League, and Toney has hit 25 goals this season. I'd have him over Solanke or Calvert-Lewin. Simon England appearances: 5 Goals: 0 Assists: 0 Dominic Solanke was the one Thomas Tuchel trusted to lead the line in the friendly against Uruguay. And the 28-year-old Tottenham striker, who has missed large parts of the season with a knee injury and scored only three goals in 12 games for his club side, was a busy man up front against the South Americans at Wembley. During 56 minutes on the field, he attempted three shots, with two of them on target, and had four touches inside the box as he built a good understanding with Noni Madueke up front, before being replaced by Dominic Calvert-Lewin. It was his first start for England and came eight years and 133 days after his international debut as a substitute against Brazil in November 2017. Solanke was also brought on for the final half hour as a traditional focal point against Japan after Phil Foden was given the chance to play from the start as a false nine. However, the Spurs striker had little chance to prove himself on Tuesday in what was a disjointed display by England. Click thumbs up if you think Solanke would be Kane's ideal deputy, or thumbs down if you don't. .. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say 1. Kane, 2. Extremely difficult to pick someone to lead in Kane’s absence but how can Welbeck be overlooked given his form? ?? , 3. Play Rashford in the middle over DCL and Watkins for me. Hopefully Kane is fit for the whole thing. Ian We will be coming to Marcus Rashford and Ollie Watkins shortly, Ian. England appearances: 12 Goals: 4 Assists: 0 When Dominic Calvert-Lewin spoke of renewed England ambitions after completing a free transfer from Everton to Leeds United in the summer, eyebrows were raised at his optimism. But his rejuvenation and continued fitness at Elland Road this season has prompted a return for the 29-year-old to the national team set-up with the World Cup on the horizon. Calvert-Lewin, along with Danny Welbeck, are the only English strikers to have scored 10 or more Premier League goals this season. His substitute appearance against Uruguay on Friday was his first international minutes since July 2021, when he played 17 minutes off the bench against Ukraine at the delayed Euros. However, he was not included in Tuchel's matchday squad for the defeat by Japan last night. This Flourish post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. This Flourish post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. Click thumbs up if you think Calvert-Lewin would be Kane's ideal deputy, or thumbs down if you don't. .. Click 'Get Involved' to have your say More reasons to add Danny Welbeck to the England squad? Euan Surely the last two matches is evidence that Danny Welbeck should be the 2nd choice striker. Phil England appearances: 42 Goals: 16 Assists: 4 Danny Welbeck was a glaring omission from Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the friendlies against Uruguay and Japan. Welbeck is the Englishman to score the most goals in the Premier League this season and hit a double as Brighton beat Liverpool on 21 March. He may be 35 but he is showing age is just a number after scoring his 11th and 12th league goals of the season against the Champions League-chasing Reds. While he was unable to show Tuchel what he could do on the international stage before the German coach decides on his squad for this summer's World Cup, he could yet make a case to be in the squad if his performances at club level continue in the same vein. This Flourish post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. This Flourish post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. Click thumbs up if you think Welbeck would be Kane's ideal deputy, or thumbs down if you don't. .. Right, let's gauge opinion by taking a look at some of the leading alternatives to Harry Kane. Assuming that Thomas Tuchel sticks with his tried and tested system of 4-2-3-1, with Kane as the lead striker, we want to know who you think would be the best player to deputise for the England captain? We will give you some background on each alternative player, just give them a thumbs up if you think they should be Tuchel's go-to option as Kane's first replacement, or thumbs down if you don't. .. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of the page Not sure Kane is England's saviour. Don't forget, hooking Kane was the key in Euros knockouts in 2024 to get to final. He hasn't turned up in any knockouts for England, really. Loads of players missing last night, everyone on 30% given fixture demands - WC will reveal all. .. John, London England 0-1 Japan John Murray is, of course, right. Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is enjoying an incredible season, having scored 47 goals in all competitions for the German side, and will most definitely lead the line for England at the 2026 World Cup. The question is who acts as his deputy? Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins was long considered the deputy, scoring the winner in the Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands, but his patchy club form means he was not even included in England's latest squad. Tottenham's Dominic Solanke is making his way back this season after several months on the sidelines with an ankle problem and has just three Premier League goals this season. Danny Welbeck is the top-scoring English player in the English top flight this season with 12 goals but was overlooked while Dominic Calvert-Lewin was called up but used sparingly. Marcus Rashford could fill the role but is now used in the wider positions, while Anthony Gordon has played through the centre for Newcastle United without ever looking a neat fit. This Flourish post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. This Flourish post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser. England 0-1 Japan John Murray BBC football correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live It's very simple. [Harry Kane] is such a titan. He is having, in spite of all the great years he has had, he is having the best year, best goalscoring season of his career. 48 goals for Bayern Munich, 53 in 45 appearances for club and country. As Thomas Tuchel was saying post-match, he said Tottenham were not the same team without Harry Kane, Bayern Munich are not the same team without Harry Kane. He said later on, no team in the world has the same threat without Harry Kane in it. He said we can win without Harry Kane, but it is easier to win with him. It is a simple fact, the prospect of England without Harry Kane is very different to an England with him. Click 'Get Involved' at the top of the page Starting team: Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Bellingham, Saka, Rashford; Kane. Attacking midfield role will depend on form though, if Rogers or Palmer have a good end to the season they could make it. Daniel, Essex England 0-1 Japan Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson, at Wembley for BBC Radio 5 Live, said: "This is the exact situation no England fan wants. We've talked about it for over a season with this World Cup coming up. What do England do without Harry Kane? "This is what England and Thomas Tuchel do not want. He doesn't have an answer to this question. Hence why we're seeing this new formation again, with the interchange and false nine. "We've spoken about Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Dominic Solanke, Ollie Watkins. Nobody stuck their arm up and said 'I'll be his replacement'. That's why we're seeing this. " Robinson added: "It was a very disappointing evening for Thomas Tuchel. The experiment that he tried in the first half with the front four clearly didn't work. "It didn't take him long in the second half to change it. You do give England credit because when those changes were made there was a lot more cohesion. "The one area that Thomas Tuchel has got a problem is if there is a problem with Harry Kane. If that happens, then England have a real problem after watching that. " Click 'Get Involved' at the top of the page Kane 1, option 2 off the bench Calvert Lewin. 3rd option Rashford. Then with Bellingham, Saka, Palmer and Rogers interchanging over the 90 minutes this will give us great options. Steven, Pershore England 0-1 Japan Thomas Tuchel answered the question about England's perceived over-reliance on Harry Kane by saying: "Well, why would Argentina not rely on Lionel Messi, or Portugal not rely on Cristiano Ronaldo? This is totally normal. Key figures left camp for us and we saw that a bit. "We lacked a punch in the last 20 metres in both matches. We encouraged the players. It was difficult for us. " Click on the play icon below to listen to more from the England manager. .. This video can not be played We don't have the same threat without Kane - Tuchel Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.