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Former England international Paul Scholes has named three players who must be on the plane to the United States next summer, claiming the Three Lions have 'no chance of winning the World Cup' without them.
England qualified for next year's tournament with two games to spare after a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Latvia on Tuesday, inspired by two goals from in-form captain Harry Kane.
Anthony Gordon opened the floodgates for England midway through the first half with a superb finish off the left flank, before Kane scored twice in two minutes before the break to take the game out of sight.
An unfortunate Latvian own goal and a superb finish late on by second-half substitute Eberechi Eze capped off an excellent night for Thomas Tuchel's side, who are starting to show rhythm, confidence and fluidity under the German boss.
A major talking point from England's international break was the omission of high-profile stars including Jude Bellingham, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, as Tuchel opted to reward those who had played well in the last round of qualifiers.
Scholes, whose England career spanned from 1997 to 2004, has revealed he was 'surprised' by Tuchel's decision to omit his 'three best players' in the recent squad.
Paul Scholes named three players England have 'no chance of winning the World Cup without'
The Three Lions qualified for next summer's World Cup with a confident 5-0 win over Latvia
Thomas Tuchel made a series of bold selections in his October squad, omitting many key stars
‘I was a little bit surprised. Those three players, they have to be in his squad and they will be in his squad for the World Cup,’ Scholes said on The Overlap.
‘If you look at the squad now, you would say they have virtually no chance of winning the World Cup. Even with those three players it’s still a big ask but it gives you more of a chance of winning the cup.
‘Jude Bellingham has missed a little bit of football but he’s fit now so I would have brought him back in.
‘Thomas Tuchel hasn’t got many games left now until the World Cup actually starts, it’s only the November break and then the March one and then we’re there so we need to get these players playing.’
Scholes also admitted that he was left 'baffled' by the decision on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast days earlier.
'I don’t agree with it because the England squad in this international break isn’t going to win the World Cup,' he said.
‘Now look, it’s still a mountain to climb with those three players in there but it makes the squad better, they have to be in it. They’re England’s best three players so I’m baffled by it.’
Bellingham, who has now returned to action at Real Madrid after undergoing surgery on a shoulder problem over the summer, was an integral part of England's journey to the European Championships final under Gareth Southgate in 2024.
Jude Bellingham, who has become an integral part of England's first team, was not selected
Meanwhile, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden (left - right, both at Man City in January) were left out
Grealish has enjoyed a new lease of life since moving on loan to Everton over the summer
Meanwhile, Foden and Grealish — who have each enjoyed better runs of form this season compared to last at Manchester City and Everton respectively — have previously been mainstays in the Three Lions camp.
The trio will hope to regain their places in the squad when England face Serbia and Albania in their final two World Cup qualifiers during the November international break.
