On Thursday afternoon Roy Hodgson named his England squad for the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier with Lithuania, and the friendly against Italy.
Harry Kane earned his first international call-up, while Andros Townsend, Theo Walcott and Luke Shaw were among the questionable inclusions.
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With the squad confirmed, we take a look at seven English stars who were unlucky not to have been given the nod by the Three Lions boss…
Charlie Austin – Queens Park Rangers
In predictable fashion, QPR have flopped tremendously in the Premier League since their promotion to the top-flight, with their away form laughable.
The Hoops’ striker, however, has been in superb form, scoring 15 times in 26 league appearances – perhaps the poor reputation of his club has let him down in earning an international call-up.
Danny Ings – Burnley
With nine goals in his first season in the top-flight, and at 22-years-old, Ings could be one to look out for in the future England set-up, but the fixtures this month have perhaps come too soon for the Burnley hit-man to be called upon.
Saido Berahino – West Bromwich Albion
His first half of the season was marred with controversy, as on more than one occasion, the forward voiced his displeasure with the Baggies, and openly revealed he’d like to move on to a ‘bigger‘ club.
The 21-year-old, however, has been full of energy on the pitch, scoring 13 goals in all competitions, and very few would have judged his inclusion ahead of Tottenham Hotspurs’ Andros Townsend and Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph.
Ryan Bertrand – Southampton
The left-back, mooted as the Blues’ replacement for Ashley Cole, ended his challenging time at Chelsea by sealing a permanent switch to St Mary’s Stadium in February – and boy has he benefitted from the move.
Bertrand has become one of the best full-backs in the league, and has been far superior to Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs in the defensive position.
James Ward-Prowse – Southampton
A rising star for the Saints, who at 20-years-old has all the credentials to star in the England midfield in the future, particularly with the recent retirement of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
Given his performances so far this season, and the disappointing form of Ross Barkley and Michael Carrick, the youngster can feel hard done by.
John Stones – Everton
The 20-year-old has been a regular for the Toffees, and despite his club shockingly facing the threat of relegation, the defender is impressing with his performances – and could certainly rival the unconvincing Chris Smalling and Kyle Walker.
Calum Chambers – Arsenal
The Arsenal centre-back may be a surprise to feature on this list given his lack of playing time, and injury problems, since arriving at the Emirates in the summer, but with such poor defensive options for England, his name could easily have been included.
