England World Cup squad: Four key questions to ask now Gareth Southgate has named his 23 players for Russia

Gareth Southgate confirmed his 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup on Wednesday afternoon after weeks of speculation. The players will meet up at St George’s Park on Monday afternoon before playing friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica and then flying to Russia on Tuesday 12 June.

After 18 months of steady progress under Southgate the formation is now clear – a version of 3-4-2-1- and much of the team is in place, built around senior players Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane.

But there are still some questions to answer over the next month before England face Tunisia in Volgograd on 18 June. Questions primarily about filling the final spots in the team, which is why the next month of training, and the friendlies at Wembley and Elland Road will be so important.

This will be Southgate’s first senior tournament as manager, and will be the first senior tournament for many of these players too. And that is why there is so much hard work, and hard decisions to be made, before the big kick-off.

Who plays in goal?

The biggest question mark over this England team is the identity of the goalkeeper. Gareth Southgate bravely chose to drop Joe Hart, who has been first choice for the past three tournaments and now he has to choose between Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope to start against Tunisia.

Pickford played the first of England’s pair of March friendlies but his first season at Everton which started so well has got progressively harder, and he ended up conceding 58 goals from his 38 games. But he is clearly a special talent, not least with his feet, and is likely to be England keeper for years to come. Butland plays for Stoke City who conceded the joint-most goals in the Premier League this season but he is one year older and more experienced than Pickford.

Then there is Pope, who came from nowhere but only conceded 35 goals in 34 Premier League games for Burnley this season and despite not playing a minute for England yet, might now be the safest option.

Who plays at right-back?

With Southgate likely to stick with Kyle Walker on the right hand side of the back three – alongside John Stones and Harry Maguire – he has chosen to include two more specialist right-backs to play outside Walker in England’s 3-4-2-1 system. That means that Kieran Trippier has competition from Trent Alexander-Arnold, arguably the most surprising young player to make it into the 23.

Trippier is the man in possession and the more experienced player, having established himself as Tottenham’s first choice this season, starting 32 games and holding off the challenge of the erratic Serge Aurier.

But Alexander-Arnold has impressed on Liverpool’s run to the Champions League final, with his pace, delivery and his growing composure when under pressure. He is only 19 and has never played for the England senior team before. It would be a big risk for Southgate to play him, but he has shown so much faith in him already.

Who partners Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane up front?

Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier will surely anchor the midfield while Kane and Sterling are automatic choices in the front line. That leaves one empty spot left in the team with effectively three players to fill it. Dele Alli might have been the obvious choice a few months ago but he only played 22 minutes of the March friendlies and Southgate has been impressed by Jesse Lingard, whose work ethic and selfless running has been a big feature of Manchester United’s game this season.

And then there is Ruben Loftus-Cheek who is more of a wild-card pick but could be an effective game-changer from the bench. But it is difficult to see how Alli, Lingard, Kane and Sterling can all play in this system, unless Alli is trusted to play in a deeper central midfield role. Expect fierce competition for places in the Nigeria and Costa Rica games.

What is Plan B if Harry Kane is injured?

The state of Harry Kane’s ankle will be a huge talking point over the next month and into the tournament. Kane is England’s one world class player and without him the team can only look half as dangerous.

Jamie Vardy is next in line after another excellent season but he is a striker who runs in behind and there will be situations where Southgate wants a target man who can hold the ball up. That is why Danny Welbeck is in – he was drafted into the squad for the March friendlies in Kane’s absence – and if Kane were injured then Southgate would have a serious decision to make. Welbeck, who missed Euro 2016 with a knee injury, is fitter and sharper than he has been for some time, but will never have the goal threat of Vardy. Then there is Sterling, who Pep Guardiola has used as a number 9 at times this season, including on the final day at Southampton. That would be boldest choice of the lot.