England’s World Cup squad numbers leaked as Thomas Tuchel drops big hint

England’s squad numbers for a World Cup often give an indication as to who the manager is leaning towards starting, with Thomas Tuchel tasked with leading the Three Lions glory

England’s squad numbers the World Cup have been leaked – and they contain major hints as to which starting line-up Thomas Tuchel will name against Croatia. The Three Lions begin their campaign at 9pm UK time on Wednesday, June 17 at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas.

Tuchel’s side will then face Ghana at the same time on Tuesday, June 22 before facing Panama in a 10pm kick-off on Saturday, June 26. The England boss named his squad for the World Cup just under a fortnight ago, causing huge controversy with his decisions.

Now England’s squad numbers have emerged, hinting at Tuchel’s first-choice XI. John Stones, despite his minimal game time for Manchester City this season, will be No.5 at the tournament, pointing towards him partnering No.6 Marc Guehi at centre-back.

Nico O’Reilly has been given the No.3 shirt, suggesting that he’ll start at left-back. Elliot Anderson is England’s No.8, likely rubber-stamping his position in midfield next to No.4 Declan Rice.

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Marcus Rashford has been given the No.11 shirt which could mean that he’s ahead of Anthony Gordon (No.18) for a spot in attack. Of course, numbers don’t mean everything. Reece James has taken his favoured No.24 shirt but is expected to start at right-back.

Ezri Konsa, likely Stones’ biggest competition at centre-back, has been given the No.2 shirt which is normally reserved for the starting right-back. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham keeps the No.10 despite Morgan Rogers (No.17) frequently being ahead of him in the pecking order during Tuchel’s reign.

A 21-man squad touched down in Miami for England’s pre-tournament camp on Monday, with the five remaining members given additional time off after reaching European finals with their respective clubs. Dean Henderson helped Crystal Palace win the Conference League before Arsenal stars Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze lost the Champions League final.

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England are set to play two warm-up friendlies before the World Cup begins, both of which will take place in Florida. The Three Lions firstly take on New Zealand at 9pm on Saturday and Costa Rica at the same time next Wednesday.

Tuchel may well experiment during the friendlies and, more importantly, manage the amount of minutes that his biggest stars play. It’s unclear whether the four young players chosen to join training in Miami – Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, Fulham star Josh King, Liverpool winger Rio Ngumoha and Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri – will be involved.

England squad numbers in full

1. Jordan Pickford
2. Ezri Konsa
3. Nico O’Reilly
4. Declan Rice
5. John Stones
6. Marc Guehi
7. Bukayo Saka
8. Elliot Anderson
9. Harry Kane
10. Jude Bellingham
11. Marcus Rashford
12. Tino Livramento
13. Dean Henderson
14. Jordan Henderson
15. Dan Burn
16. Kobbie Mainoo
17. Morgan Rogers
18. Antony Gordon
19. Ollie Waktins
20. Noni Madueke
21. Eberechi Eze
22. Ivan Toney
23. James Trafford
24. Reece James
25. Djed Spence
26. Jarell Quansah

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