Ethan Nwaneri is in the best uncapped Premier League XI even at the age of 17, alongside a Frenchman who dreams of more than the Olympics.
GOALKEEPER: Mads Hermansen (Leicester City, not Denmark)
One of the Premier League’s better goalkeepers so far this season, Hermansen has sat on the Denmark bench 24 times over the last two years and largely watched Kasper Schmeichel and occasionally Union Berlin’s Frederik Rønnow. Equalling a Premier League record with 13 saves v Arsenal should make his case for at least a Nations League bow. Come on Lars Knudsen, have a heart.
RIGHT-BACK: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham, not England or DR Congo)
Almost six years after his first and only England call-up, Wan-Bissaka might finally get a second after finding form and consistency once again at West Ham after five seasons at Manchester United in which his confidence was eroded. He could always tackle but is now a more-than-adept attacking option at full-back or wing-back. It’s time.
CENTRE-BACK: Sven Botman (Newcastle United, not Netherlands)
After finally making it back to the Dutch bench in 2023 – after almost three years – for the Nations League finals, Botman’s knee has largely kept him out since. Even Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke has been capped while Botman has been sidelined.
CENTRE-BACK: Murillo (Nottingham Forest, not Brazil)
“I’m taking it in quite slowly but it has always been my dream to play for the Brazil national team ever since I was playing at youth level. I will leave that to the hands of God. If the call-up comes, I will grab it with teeth and nails.”
The call-up did eventually come and he grabbed it, but he sat on the bench as Brazil drew two games 1-1, with Arsenal’s Gabriel partnering Marquinhos in his stead.
LEFT-BACK: Djed Spence (Tottenham, not England)
As we asked in February: Would Gareth Southgate have packed in the England job had he known that Djed Spence was mere months away from metamorphosing into the right-back-at-left-back of his wildest dreams? He surely would not. But nor could Southgate, or indeed any of us, have seen this coming.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest, not England or Scotland)
A PSR sale by Newcastle United last summer, but Anderson is now bound for the Champions League with Nottingham Forest after an absolutely stellar season that has seen him start every Premier League game since early December. He has previously been called up by Scotland but four recent appearances for England’s Under-21s suggest that the Englishman regards himself as English.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD: Harvey Elliott (Liverpool, not England)
It’s got to sting a little that Curtis Jones has edged ahead of him when Elliott is probably the more purely talented footballer, but the uncomfortable truth is that he has not started a single Premier League game this season for the champions-elect. Should he exit Liverpool this summer? We suspect it would be best for both club and player.
RIGHT WING: Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal, not England)
The last time a full England squad was named, Nwaneri was yet to start a Premier League game and he was more than happy to take the England Under-19 call and score two goals. Now he is so established – in the absence of Bukayo Saka – that he was rested for the second leg of a Champions League knock-out clash. There has been A Clamour, but the sensible road would surely be to put the brakes on for now. He is only 17 and, as Martin Keown says, he is “blowing”.
ATTACKING MIDFIELD: Dwight McNeil (Everton, not England)
When fit, he was creating chances at the same rate as Cole Palmer – and more impressively than Phil Foden – this season, but McNeil has been sidelined since early December with a knee injury.
LEFT WING: Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa, not England)
Unai Emery started that Champions League win over actual Bayern Munich with an English front four of Ramsey, Rogers and Jaden Philogene behind Ollie Watkins. “He is a potentially big, big player in Aston Villa and England,” says Emery, who ensured the club resisted attention from Newcastle and Tottenham in the summer as they eyed a PSR bargain. But since then he has brought in Marcus Rashford, who is probably more likely to get the call from Tuchel.
STRIKER: Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace, not France)
He played for France (and thrived) at the Olympics and then appealed to actual French boss Didier Deschamps in September, saying: “It’s always been in my head. It’s a childhood dream. It’s the jersey I want to wear.”
Deschamps has so far resisted even as Mateta has scored 12 Premier League goals; in his slight defence, he has a few middling options like Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani at his disposal. Spoilsport.
As for Mateta…Manchester United could do a lot worse.
