Fans React To To Surprising Inclusion Of Maddison And Gallagher In England World Cup Squad

England’s World Cup squad for Qatar 2022 has been released, with fans left stunned by a few of manager Gareth Southgate’s choices.

Some of that shock was reserved for players who have been overlooked, including James Ward-Prowse, Ivan Toney, Tammy Abraham, and Tyrone Mings. But the Three Lions squad is also scattered with players few England fans thought stood a chance of making it to Qatar.

The biggest surprise of all has to be the inclusion of Leicester City’s James Maddison, a player many fans will be thrilled to see make the cut so late in the planning process.

Maddison has been electric for the Foxes so far this season, either scoring or assisting 10 goals in 12 Premier League appearances for the struggling side. Despite his form, Southgate has appeared reluctant to reward the playmaker with call-ups in recent years.

READ ALSO: List Of High-Profile Injured Players Who Could Miss 2022 World Cup 

Maddison made his sole England appearance in a 7-0 win over Montenegro in November 2019, before appearing to fall out with the manager after visiting a casino shortly after pulling out of the squad due to “illness”.

However, he’s been brought back in from the cold for Qatar following a bright start to the campaign and fans will be hoping to see him get some minutes on the field.

Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher has made just four appearances for England so far during his career, but will also be going to the World Cup after making the grade for Qatar. Gallagher earned his first call-up to the Three Lions squad while shining for Crystal Palace on loan last season. His energy and desire to get into the opposition area were praised by then-manager Patrick Vieira. Now back at his parent club, Gallagher has been in decent form this season, but his inclusion might surprise some fans given his lack of experience.

Reacting to James Maddison’s surprise inclusion in the 2022 World Cup squad, England and Leicester City legend Gary Lineker has

picked up on a social media post which explained that Maddison has scored 27 goal contributions this calendar year and ‘deserves’ to be on the plane to Qatar. “Absolutely,” he responded. “[Maddison] is the best example of forcing yourself into a squad at the very last, by the sheer brilliance of your performances.”

Maddison has kept standards high with 10 goal contributions in 12 top-flight appearances. The 25-year-old attacking midfielder only has one international cap to his name, which came back in 2019, but his performances at club level since the start have last season have led to some spectacular numbers.

The former Coventry City academy prospect managed to sway Southgate leading up to the World Cup squad deadline, having scored against Wolves on October 23 and twice against Nottingham Forest three weeks prior. It remains to be seen exactly how he’ll be used in Qatar, if at all, given that he’s not a natural fit in a three-back formation.