Phil Foden will miss out on England's World Cup squad after a difficult season with Manchester City, according to BBC Sport's Sami Mokbel.
England head coach Thomas Tuchel will name his final 26-man squad Friday. Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw and AC Milan center-back Fikayo Tomori are also expected to be left out, Mokbel reports.
Shaw's club teammate Harry Maguire, meanwhile, has already acknowledged his own omission from the squad on Instagram, describing himself as "shocked and gutted by the decision."
Tuchel started making calls to players who didn't make the cut Thursday, per Agence France-Presse.
Foden was the only player to start both of England's friendlies during the March international window. However, he's struggled to perform for his country, recording four goals in 49 caps since his debut in 2020. He's started just two Premier League matches for Manchester City since mid-February.
"He tried everything. I would say he was excellent in camp, but he struggles to show it on the pitch," Tuchel said of Foden's performances against Uruguay and Japan in March, as quoted by ESPN.
He added, "I thought he will just surprise us and will play with the same verve and excitement, but he struggles to have the full impact."
The exclusion of Shaw, who was reportedly named in the provisional 55-man squad, appears to be down to Tuchel preferring that Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly and Newcastle United's Dan Burn travel to North America, according to Mokbel.
The omissions of Maguire and Tomori could pave the way for John Stones to be included in the World Cup squad. The outgoing Manchester City defender has been plagued with injury issues, but the England boss appears to consider him a key figure for the Three Lions. Chelsea's Levi Colwill, who recently returned from a long-term injury, is also hoping to get the call from Tuchel.
Noni Madueke and Jordan Henderson are expected to be named in the squad, Mokbel reports. Manchester United's Kobbie Mainoo and Newcastle's Tino Livramento have also been selected for the tournament, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein and Seb Stafford-Bloor.
