England Announce 23-Man Squad Ahead of World Cup Qualifier; Hart Included But Rashford Misses Out

Published on: 28 August 2016

New England boss Sam Allardyce has picked his first 23-man squad ahead of the Three Lions' opening 2018 World Cup qualifier vs Slovakia on September 4th.


Outgoing Manchester City keeper Joe Hart made the cut, while Manchester United darling Marcus Rashford has been dropped from the team.


Despite his recent lack of form and playing time, Daniel Sturridge joins Jamie Vardy and Harry Kane on the plane.


West Ham winger Michail Antonio has received his first ever call up to the England setup and former West Ham boss Allardyce couldn't be prouder.

? @OfficialBigSam tells FATV why he's named @Michailantonio in his first #ThreeLions squad https://t.co/oLzWvJvKxC


"?Speaking to the FA on the selection of Antonio, Big Sam said "I think he's in outstanding form.


"This is another lad with a great journey "? it's a fantastic journey that he's been on, from non-league to now an international call-up. He scored nine goals in his first season and he's a terrific athlete, a good crosser and a goal-scorer."


Furthermore, Luke Shaw will be another welcome face after his return from a long injury lay off thanks to a broken leg suffered vs PSV last year.


Arsenal star Jack Wilshere and Everton's Ross Barkley both miss out, while Theo Walcott is recalled.


The full squad is as follows:

? @OfficialBigSam names his first #ThreeLions squad, with a debut call-up for @WestHamUtd winger @Michailantonio. pic.twitter.com/TbEeMzBzEA

"?"?Talking to the FA ahead of the announcement, Allardyce said: "I think every player that's on top of his game at the moment and every player who's played for England recently, we've monitored through the start of the Premier League..."


Let's hope he made the right decisions and that the Three Lions can brush aside the opposition in Trnava!

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