England snubbed XI worth nearly half-a-billion could finish inside Premier League top six after ruthless Thomas Tuchel decisions

England boast an enviable group of players not going to the World Cup, they could form a top-six Premier League XI.

That’s according to Three Lions great Stuart Pearce, who has shared his views at Thomas Tuchel’s controversial 26-man squad, which featured some shock omissions.

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Controversial picks

In arguably the most contentious England squad of all time, Tuchel opted to leave some generational talents at home for the World Cup.

Among the big names to miss out on a seat on the plane were Harry Maguire, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White.

So too was Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, who many had tipped to be England’s starting left-back, as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Plenty of goalscoring talent was also snubbed, including 14-goal Leeds striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin and West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen.

Rounding off the shock omissions was Manchester United-linked Crystal Palace star, Adam Wharton, Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill and Nick Pope – who has been a regular among England’s goalkeeping options in recent major tournaments.

Among those heading to North America instead are Ivan Toney, along with Jarell Quansah, Dan Burn and Jordan Henderson, with Tottenham’s Djed Spence making it too.

Costly omissions

Tuchel’s squad has sent shockwaves up and down the country, and it’s fair to say his omitted players would give his starting XI a good game.

According to Transfermarkt, the value of the Three Lions’ players not on the plane totals a staggering £460million (almost half-a-billion), with the likes of Palmer, Foden and Alexander-Arnold all worth well over £50m.

And while many have been left up in arms over this, former England captain Pearce chose to see the positives as he reacted to the leaked squad on talkSPORT on the eve of the official announcement.

He said: “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.

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

And while Pearce insisted England’s chosen squad can challenge for glory, he was quick to acknowledge the quality left at home.

He added: “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.”

This wouldn’t be an exaggeration, with the likes of Foden, Maguire and Alexander-Arnold all set for top-three league finishes with their respective Premier League and LaLiga teams.

Meanwhile, Palmer and Colwill have both tasted Club World Cup glory with Chelsea, while Wharton is into the Conference League final with Palace.

Selection headache

There would even be a debate over which snubbed players would get into a starting XI, with England’s wealth of talent such that several players could compete in certain positions.

As well as Lewis Hall, Man United’s Luke Shaw is not on the plane, despite being starting left-back at the last three major tournaments.

Fikayo Tomori has also not been able to convince Tuchel with his performances at centre-back for AC Milan, while Arsenal’s Ben White also missed out on a call-up despite winning the Premier League.

Brighton’s Danny Welbeck was also tipped for a spot on the plane after hitting double figures in league goals, but now won’t be travelling to North America.

Pearce: ‘Question marks’ over defence

While Pearce insisted England’s travelling bunch are more than good enough to compete, he had some reservations about their defensive options.

Man City’s John Stones was named in Tuchel’s squad, despite making just eight league appearances this term, as well as Chelsea’s Reece James, who is recently back from a hamstring injury.

Pearce said: “All the question marks that we’ve got are pointing at the back line.

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“Are we going to be good enough to defend in the marginal games at a major tournament to win a World Cup?

“John Stones’ lack of fitness, Reece James has hardly played a 90 minutes in recent times…they’re the worries I’ve got.

“What we’ve got in midfield and going forward, we’ve got goals in us, we can score against teams, but can you defend against teams?”

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