Who's on the Plane? England's Euro 2020 squad power rankings - 2 weeks to go
It's official, Gareth Southgate will name his England squad for this summer's European Championship on Tuesday, 25 May.
That means it's almost time to bring our 'Who's on the Plane' series to an end, though fortunately we've still got a couple of hearty instalments left in us.
The first of those is, well, now - as 90min attempts to whittle the Three Lions' abundance of options down to, oooh, 26 players rather than 23. How fancy...
26. James Ward-Prowse (New Entry)
One of Southgate's first tasks is filling out his squad with additional cover in some injury-ravaged positions.
That could play nicely into the hands of James Ward-Prowse, who despite Southampton's shocking form, could benefit from Jordan Henderson being selected despite having little to no chance of being fit for England's first game.
25. Conor Coady (New Entry)
There's also food for thought in central defence.
Harry Maguire has picked up an injury, John Stones is being rotated at Manchester City because they have so many games to play, Tyrone Mings isn't in a great run of form and Eric Dier is just, well, rubbish.
Attention, Conor Coady - you're in.
24. Tyrone Mings (Down 2)
Consistency has evaded every player at Aston Villa since they lost Jack Grealish to injury, including Tyrone Mings.
He's not made any more howlers since we last referenced his one against Fulham, but Villa haven't kept a clean sheet in their last eight games - something Mings is directly responsible for. Oh.
23. Bukayo Saka (New Entry)
Things continue to go from bad to worse at Arsenal, but they do have a couple of rays of sunshine in Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
The former's ability to play seemingly everywhere is a huge advantage, and it's bound to be something that appeals to Southgate. Saka also gives you those highly coveted x-factor vibes, which can't be ignored when 26 places are up for grabs.
22. Jordan Pickford (Up 1)
Has Jordan Pickford's form marginally improved of late?
Yes, yes it has.
In fact, it's improved enough to definitely (sorry Sam Johnstone) take him to the Euros - his tournament experience helps, too - but definitely not enough
to earn him a starting berth.
More on that later.
21. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Down 1)
One of the most divisive players in the country, Trent Alexander-Arnold will be in the headlines whether he makes the England squad or not.
For us, it's impossible to banish the memories of 2018-2020; when TAA was the best right-back in the country, if not the world. Boarding pass, please...
20. Reece James (Up 1)
England are very well stocked in the right-back department, so much so that Kieran Trippier - he of Croatia free kick fame - may be watching the Euros from the comfort of his sofa in Madrid.
The person responsible for that particular pickle is Reece James, who is getting better and better each and every time he plays for Chelsea.
19. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (-)
If Harry Kane picks up another injury, tears will flow across England.
One man who won't be crying though is Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who must now be thinking 'it's all on me' if Kane does run into strife.
18. Kalvin Phillips (-)
Leeds have been one of, if not the, most exciting side to watch during the 2020/21 Premier League.
Shots are raining down on goal at both ends while poor Kalvin Phillips tries to hold things together in midfield. To his credit, he does it brilliantly and could be a surprise starter for England - injury and strength of opponent depending.
17. Jude Bellingham (Down 1)
It's borderline criminal for Borussia Dortmund kindergartener Jude Bellingham to be as good as he is aged 17.
But it will be even more of a crime if his supreme talent isn't rewarded with a place in Southgate's 26-man roster.
16. Jack Grealish (Down 2)
Remember when Jack Grealish used to play for Aston Villa? Yeah, we barely do either.
But what little memory we do have is of a supremely talented player who, having fought for so many months just to get into Southgate's plans, absolutely deserves to be called up by England.
15. Dean Henderson (-)
David de Gea has successfully been dislodged as Manchester United's number one, so the next task awaiting Dean Henderson is to force his way between the sticks for England.
It won't be easy, but he might do it - particularly as he tops a very special category alongside Nick Pope. To be continued.
14. Jadon Sancho (Up 3)
Jadon Sancho is probably England's best right winger, you heard it hear first.
He's also, alongside Erling Haaland, desperately trying to haul Dortmund back into Champions League qualification contention after an iffy Bundesliga season to say the least.
Iffy for Dortmund, that is - Sancho's been great the whole time.
13. Ben Chilwell (-)
Last time we wrote about Ben Chilwell, we told you that he'd never eaten a Chinese in his life, is a dead-cert pick and still has to watch the odd Chelsea game from the bench.
A) We're still not over that.
B) He's still a dead-cert pick.
C) He's now firmly Thomas Tuchel's first-choice left wing-back, unless the German tactician fancies giving him a rest.
12. Jordan Henderson (-)
Is Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson going to be fit for Euro 2020?
Honestly, nobody really knows.
Would be bloody handy if he was, that much we do know.
11. Kyle Walker (Down 2)
This rotating with Joao Cancelo lark is really getting a bit tedious for Kyle Walker.
Maybe if Manchester City stopped getting to the final stages of every competition they played, Walker wouldn't need to be rotated so often! That and Cancelo still being a pretty good, if not better, option...
One positive is that Walker should be in peak physical condition come mid-June, which is excellent news considering he's almost certain to start.
10. Marcus Rashford (-)
Three goals in Marcus Rashford's last 19 Premier League appearances doesn't make for particularly promising reading - unless you're trying to impress Gary Neville for his team of the season picks.
However, 20 strikes in all competitions over the course of 2020/21 does, and that's why Rashford remains one of England's most valuable players.
9. Nick Pope (Up 2)
Is Nick Pope's England number one? We still don't know!
But having done a bit of statistical research, 90min can reveal that he and Henderson have the highest Premier League save percentages of those who have played ten or more games.
Over to you, Gareth...
8. John Stones (-)
It's a good job Stones has been getting some rest in over the past weeks, given Maguire is now rocking an ill-timed ankle injury.
Are we a bit scared Stones could be leading that back line? We'd be lying if we said the answer was no, but we didn't expect him to salvage his Manchester City career either. C'mon John, you got this.
7. Raheem Sterling (-)
*RAHEEM STERLING GOAL KLAXON*
It wasn't a classic goal by any means, but scoring against Chelsea - even if it was the result of a dreadful Sergio Aguero touch - is just what Raz needed heading into a career-defining summer with England.
6. Luke Shaw (-)
England's best left-back has been one of the stars of the 2020/21 Premier League season, and that's a fact.
Take a bow Luke Shaw, take a bow.
5. Phil Foden (-)
Like Bellingham, Phil Foden is one of those god given talents that comes around once in a blue moon.
He's already evolved into one of Manchester City's big time players, despite being continually marginalised by Pep Guardiola in terms of Premier League starts, and should be a key figure for England this summer.
Trust the process, Phil.
4. Declan Rice (-)
We haven't seen Declan Rice take to a football field since England's international triple-header in March, but word on the street is he's about to return for West Ham after a nasty little knee problem.
Good job as well, how many more injury headaches must Gareth contend with?!
3. Mason Mount (-)
No injuries here, Mason Mount is doing just fine in west London.
Arguably, he's Chelsea's best player right now, pulling the strings in midfield to show that Frank Lampard really did have a good thing going after all.
Admittedly, playing alongside the greatest Duracell bunny of all time, N'Golo Kante, helps, but he's class nevertheless.
2. Harry Maguire (-)
You know that rhetorical question we just asked about England's injury headaches?
Yeahhh, there's one more for Gareth to contend with - and frankly, this is more like a brain-crushing migraine than a run of the mill bonce ache. Damn you Anwar El Ghazi and your falling body, damn you.
1. Harry Kane (-)
90min's number one pick throughout this process has been Harry Kane, because of course it bloody has.
Favourite to pick up another Premier League golden boot, could he add a European Championship version to sit on the mantelpiece alongside the one he scooped at the World Cup?
Don't bet it against, babies.
Full England Squad
Goalkeepers: Nick Pope (Burnley), Dean Henderson (Manchester United), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Reece James (Chelsea), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
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