Hart, Wilshere left out of England’s WC squad

London, May 16: Goalkeeper Joe Hart and midfielder Jack Wilshere have been left out of England’s FIFA World Cup squad which was announced by head coach Gareth Southgate on Wednesday.

Hart, 31, who has won 75 caps, conceded 39 goals in 19 English Premier League (EPL) games for West Ham United this season.

Arsenal’s 26-year-old Wilshere, who has had an injury-plagued career, has managed 38 appearances this season. Hart has been England’s first-choice goalkeeper for the last three major tournaments, including Euro 2012, the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, as well as the qualifiers for this summer’s event. But he has only played in one of the past five games under Southgate.

Everton’s Jordan Pickford is likely to be England’s first choice goalkeeper this summer, with Stoke City’s Jack Butland also a contender.

Wilshere has won 34 caps, scoring twice. His last appearance for his country was the Euro 2016 last-16 defeat by Iceland.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley).

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Harry Maguire (Leicester), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ashley Young (Manchester United).

Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea).

Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal).

Standby: Lewis Cook (Bournemouth), Tom Heaton (Burnley), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jake Livermore (West Brom), James Tarkowski (Burnley). IANS