Djed Spence to land final spot in ‘astounding’ England squad despite broken jaw as Trent Alexander-Arnold snubbed

Djed Spence is expected to land the final spot in England’s 26-man squad for this summer’s World Cup, talkSPORT understands.

Thomas Tuchel’s first 25 picks were all leaked on the eve of his official announcement on Friday with a number of huge surprises.

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Harry Maguire, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White were among the big-name omissions, as Jordan Henderson and Ivan Toney were given a seat on the plane to North America.

Now, we can report Trent Alexander-Arnold and Myles Lewis-Skelly will also miss the tournament, with Spence getting the nod despite recently suffering a broken jaw.

Reacting to the squad on Friday, England legend Stuart Pearce was left gobsmacked.

When asked specifically about the selection of Toney, who has spent the last two seasons in the Saudi Pro League, Pearce said: “I’m astounded.”

He added: “We have never, in the history of English football, talked about so much talent that we think won’t be going to the World Cup.

“That, for me, is the flip side of the coin. It’s the real positive.

“To say that we’re going to be good enough with 26 players, and outside that you could probably name a team that would finish in the top six in the Premier League.”

When are England’s group fixtures?

The Three Lions head to Florida at the start of June to begin their training camp in the States.

They will play two warm-up matches – against New Zealand on June 6 and Costa Rica on June 10 – before travelling to Kansas City.

The World Cup begins on June 11 and England’s first game in Group L is against Croatia at the AT&T Stadium in Texas on June 17.

Tuchel’s men then face Ghana at the Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts on June 23.

And the Three Lions’ final group match is against Panama at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 27.

What is England’s route to the final?

Should England and the other highest-ranking nations finish as expected in their respective groups, this is what potentially awaits the Three Lions…

Their first knockout tie would come against the third-place nation in either Group E, H, I, J or K in the last-32 in Atlanta on July 1.

The toughest scenario on paper could be Norway, spearheaded by Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard, although there are 20 teams England could get and it is almost impossible to predict.

The Three Lions then face the prospect of playing co-hosts Mexico in Mexico City on July 5.

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South American giants Brazil and Argentina are very likely opponents respectively in the quarter-finals and semi-finals on July 11 and July 15, before a possible final against Spain or France on July 19.

How can I follow the World Cup?

While tickets and travel arrangements require a mortgage, talkSPORT has free coverage of every single World Cup match with a blockbuster line-up.

For England, our coverage will be led by the formidable trio of Adrian Durham, Stuart Pearce, and Jim Proudfoot, with Faye Carruthers embedded in the camp as our reporter.

The wider squad for the tournament includes ex-England star Kyle Walker, Premier League managers David Moyes and Fabian Hurzeler, British rapper AJ Tracey, and so many more.

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