Thomas Tuchel has a wealth of options to choose from heading into the World Cup, but has the England manager made a mistake with March’s squad?
The Three Lions will take on Uruguay and Japan in pre-tournament friendlies this month, but the leading English scorer in the Premier League has not made the squad. In fact, three of the six highest-scoring English players in the Premier League have been excluded.
The English players with the most goals in the Premier League this season
Morgan Rogers – Aston Villa (8)
The Aston Villa midfielder has made the squad and is part of a competitive battle for England’s number ten position.
With chief rivals Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer all struggling for form and fitness this season, Rogers is arguably the current frontrunner.
Jarrod Bowen – West Ham (8)
Jarrod Bowen will hope to be given a chance to impress this month, with the wide roles another area where Tuchel is not short of options.
Bowen has scored eight league goals and assisted six more for a struggling West Ham team this season, but has seen his England opportunities limited due to Bukayo Saka. Just seven of his 20 caps have come from the start.
Another brace for Jarrod Bowen as he adds two more against Brentford 📈
Quietly cooking this season. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EOwmYdgUOh
— LiveScore (@livescore) March 9, 2026
Ollie Watkins – Aston Villa (9)
Ollie Watkins was one of the big-name absentees from March’s squad announcement. The Aston Villa forward was part of the group at Euro 2024, scoring a memorable semi-final winner against the Netherlands, but has been inconsistent this season. A goal against West Ham at the weekend was the perfect response to his snub.
Watkins says he expected England snub amid Aston Villa form
Cole Palmer – Chelsea (9)
Cole Palmer’s season has been stop-start due to injuries. A succession of issues have prevented Palmer from scaling previous heights, though he’s still scored nine goals in 18 league starts. However, five of his nine goals (55%) have come from the penalty spot.
Morgan Gibbs-White (9)
Another exclusion from March’s group, Morgan Gibbs-White, faces a race against time to convince Tuchel he deserves a place on the plane.
That said, Gibbs-White appears to be timing a good run of form. He scored against Spurs on Sunday to make it nine goals for the Premier League campaign, six of which have come in his last 12 appearances.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin – Leeds (10)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s renaissance at Leeds has propelled the forward back into the England set-up. Calvert-Lewin’s last cap came in July 2021, but he’s back after an almost five-year absence.
A fresh start at Leeds this season has brought the best out in the 29-year-old, who’s scored 10+ Premier League goals for the first time since 2020-21.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin is more than in the conversation, he’s BACK in the England squad. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/DCp5J8ALqW
— Squawka (@Squawka) March 20, 2026
Danny Welbeck – Brighton (12)
The leading English scorer in the Premier League is not part of the squad this month. Danny Welbeck has aged like a fine wine at Brighton, with this the most prolific campaign of his Premier League career.
Welbeck has scored 12 goals, following on from 10 last season, at an age when most players are starting to slow down (35).
Danny Welbeck bagged his 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙙 league brace this season 🔥
His 12 goals are a personal best in a Premier League campaign 🫡 pic.twitter.com/oJ18w7Z0X2
— LiveScore (@livescore) March 21, 2026
Incredibly, Welbeck had never reached double-digits in the Premier League before last season. The veteran boasts a good record for England with 16 goals in 42 appearances, but has not been capped since 2018.
Read – Premier League Awards: Forest sink Spurs in six-pointer
See more – Premier League Team of the Week – King, Welbeck, Beto
