England’s World Cup team: Stuart Pearce picks his starting XI

The World Cup in Qatar is edging ever closer, with England playing their final game before the tournament earlier this week, taking on Germany at Wembley in a six-goal thriller.

However, some worrying performances have left everyone with a range of opinions on who they’d start if they were donning the waistcoat in Qatar.

Adding his name to the list of people giving their opinion is former England caretaker boss, Stuart Pearce, who gave his starting XI to talkSPORT.

The England legend opted to go for a back four rather than five, with Jordan Pickford between the sticks, with John Stones and Harry Maguire in front of him. With plenty of full-back options, he settled on Luke Shaw and Kyle Walker.

It’s a move that will surely be met with plenty of disagreement given the season Maguire has had for club and country, especially with Serie A champion Fikayo Tomori waiting in the sidelines.

Again, there’s a fair few shouts for that holding midfield slot with Pearce opting for two player to play infront of the back line, selecting Declan Rice and Jude Bellngham.

The three in front of those two are a tad more controversial, with Phil Foden not earning a place in the side. Mason Mount is down the middle, with Chelsea teammate Raheem Sterling to one side and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka on the other.

After having a huge impact from the bench against Germany, it’s no surprise to see him edge towards these three, but Foden’s omission is definitely eyebrow raising!

England’s current captain, Harry Kane, has been chosen to lead the line by Stuart Pearce, a decision that many will agree with, although the recent struggles in front of goal has led to some opting for changes, such as Adebayo Akinfenwa starting Ivan Toney.