Beyond Kane and Bellingham, No England Player Can Guarantee a Starting Spot

England legend John Barnes stated in an interview that he believes only two players can be confirmed as "undisputed starters" for the England national team at next summer’s World Cup.

Barnes said: “As it stands, apart from Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, no other England player can be certain of a starting position in the team. Just like we saw last time—many big-name players were absent, but I think that was one of England’s best performances since Thomas Tuchel took over as manager.”

“The next question is: to recall players like Phil Foden, will you exclude someone like Morgan Rogers who has performed extremely well under Tuchel? The key lies in whether they fit the team’s system, not how well they perform at their club. I think this is the correct selection philosophy.”

Former England striker Darren Bent, speaking to talkSPORT, stated that it would be an "impossible task" for Tuchel to fit England’s numerous attacking talents into a single starting lineup: “Everyone is saying Cole Palmer must return to the national team squad. Alright, then the question arises—who are you going to leave out?”

“I’ve discussed this topic with others before, including several former players and some fans. We all talked about it intensely, and everyone was saying ‘Palmer must be back in the squad’.”

“I responded at the time that this view does make sense, but if he really returns—assuming you select Palmer into the squad, who are you going to drop?”

"There’s simply no answer to this question; it’s completely unsolvable. So Tuchel is carrying a huge burden."