FIFA World Cup: why were these footballers not chosen for Qatar? where is the England 2018 squad now?

England manager Gareth Southgate and his 26-men are currently in Qatar for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.

The Three Lions have made it through to the quarter finals after a 3-0 win over Senegal last night (Sunday 4 December).

England will now face France on Saturday 10 December, thanks to goals from Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson and Bukayo Saka.

The 2022 competition has seen 14 English footballers take to the World Cup stage for the first time including Jude Bellingham, Aaron Ramsdale, Conor Coady, Luke Shaw, Ben White, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Saka, Conor Gallagher and Callum Wilson.

The likes of Harry Kane, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Nick Pope, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, Eric Dier, Marcus Rashford and Keiran Tripper were there when England came fourth place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Meanwhile, Henderson and Sterling have competed at three World Cups.

So, let’s take a look at what the 2018 World Cup stars who didn’t make the 2022 squad are doing now:

Jamie Vardy

The Sheffield-born forward was playing for Leicester City when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

Over a month after the 2018 World Cup finished, on 28 August 2018, Vardy stepped aside from the England national team.

He told Southgate that he did not want to be considered for selection unless there was an injury crisis.

Vardy made 26 appearances for England between 2015 and 2018, and scored seven goals.

However, the 32-year-old continues to play for The Foxes - the club he has been with since 2012.

Danny Rose

The Doncaster-born defender was playing for Tottenham Hotspur when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

The 32-year-old played for Premier League club Watford last season, after signing a two-year contract in June 2021.

However, following Watford’s relegation to the EFL Championship, Rose wanted to leave his contract at Vicarage Road.

On 1 September 2022, Watford and Rose agreed a mutual cancellation of his contract, and he is yet to sign with another team.

The left-back made 29 appearances for England between 2016 and 2019.

Fabian Delph

The Bradford-born defender was playing for Manchester City when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

However, Delph signed for City’s rivals Everton on 15 July 2019 on a three-year contract for a fee of £10 million.

Delph announced his retirement from professional football on 27 September 2022.

In his career, the 33-year-old had made 20 appearances for England’s senior squad, and a number of appearances for the U19’s and U21’s.

Jesse Lingard

The Warrington-born midfielder was playing for Manchester United when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

On 21 July this year, the 29-year-old signed for newly promoted Premier League club Nottingham Forest on a one-year contract.

Lingard has made 32 appearances for England since 2016, and scored six goals.

Jack Butland

The Bristol-born goalkeeper was playing for Stoke City when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

Whilst fellow England keepers Jordan Pickford and Nick Pope appeared in the 2022 World Cup squad, Butland was replaced by Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale.

The 29-year-old only made nine appearances for England between 2012 and 2018.

On 16 October 2020, Butland signed for Premier League club Crystal Palace on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

Danny Welbeck

The Manchester-born striker was playing for Arsenal when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

The 32-year-old made a move to Watford on 7 August 2019. The contract was for an undisclosed length, and he was released from Vicarage Road on 6 October the following year.

Welbeck then made a free transfer to Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion on 18 October 2020.

He was on a one-year contract, but on 23 June 2021, it was announced that Welbeck had signed another one-year contract with the Seagulls.

A few games into the 2022–23 season, the forward signed a new two year contract with Brighton & Hove Albion, taking him through to 2024.

Between 2011 and 2018, Welbeck represented England 42 times including in the UEFA Euro 2012, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

He has earnt 42 caps for Three Lions and scored 16 goals.

Gary Cahill

The Dronfield-born defender was playing for Chelsea when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

The 36-year-old signed for Crystal Palace on 5 August 2019 on a two-year contract, before moving to Championship club AFC Bournemouth on 20 August 2021 on a one-year contract.

The centre-back had not appeared for the The Cherries since January 2022, and was released at the end of the season following Bournmouth’s promotion to the Premier League.

Cahill announced his retirement from football on 16 November 2022.

In his career, he had made 61 appearances for England’s senior squad, and a number of appearances for the U20’s and U21’s.

Phil Jones

The Preston-born defender was playing for Manchester United when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

He first joined The Red Devils in 2011, and on 8 February 2019 he signed a new contract with the club that will take him through until 2023.

However, the 30-year-old spent 20 months injured, before finally returning to training and playing with the reserves in September 2021.

Following a number of injuries to his fellow teammates, Jones made his return to first team action on 3 January 2022 - his first appearance in nearly two years.

Between 2011 and 2018, the defender has represented England 27 times including in the UEFA Euro 2012, the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Ashley Young

The Stevenage-born defender was playing for Manchester United when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

On 17 January 2020, Young signed for Italian Serie A club Inter Milan. The transfer fee was reportedly around €1.5 million (£1.28 million).

The 37-year-old moved to Aston Villa on 1 July 2021 after signing a one-year contract with The Villa a month earlier.

Aston Villa club confirmed that Young had re-signed for another season until 2023, on 4 July this year. On 27 July, Young was named club captain for the upcoming season.

Between 2007 and 2018, Young made 39 appearances for England and scored seven goals. He was part of the UEFA Euro 2012 squad, as well as the 2018 FIFA World Cup team.

Dele Alli

The Milton Keynes-born midfielder was playing for Tottenham Hotspur when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

On 31 January this year, Alli moved to fellow Premier League side Everton. He signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, running until the end of the 2023–24 season.

However, on 25 August, the 26-year-old joined Turkish team Beşiktaş on loan for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.

Alli has scored three goals for England, through 37 appearances between 2015 and 2019. He was selected for the UEFA Euro 2016 team, as well as the 2018 FIFA World Cup squad.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

The London-born midfielder was playing for Chelsea when he was part of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

Loftus-Cheek agreed a new five-year contract with Chelsea on 6 July 2019, running until 2024. However, his injury saw him out of action until June 2020.

On 5 October 2020, the 26-year-old was loaned to Fulham for the remainder of the season - but he is now back at Chelsea.

He made ten appearances for England between 2017 and 2018, including in England’s 2018 World Cup opening game against Tunisia.