England World Cup line-up: Adebayo Akinfenwa picks bold XI for Iran clash

England’s preparations for the 2022 World Cup could certainly be going better.

Gareth Southgate’s men head into their final warm-up game before the tournament on the back of relegation in the Nations League, having not scored a goal from open play in more than 450 minutes.

The final whistle of their 1-0 defeat to Italy on Friday evening was met with boos from frustrated England fans, many deeply concerned for the Three Lions’ prospects in Qatar.

It would be naive to suggest that the Euro 2020 finalist’s side isn’t in need of an overhaul.

However, whether those changes need to be quite as sweeping as those suggested by former Wycombe and AFC Wimbledon striker Adebayo Akinfenwa during a recent appearance on talkSPORT is very debatable.

Making a number of big calls, Akinfenwa named his preferred starting XI for England’s opening group game with Iran on November 21 and you can check it out below.

GK: Jordan Pickford

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold

CB: Eric Dier

CB: Fikayo Tomori

LB: Kyle Walker

CDM: Jordan Henderson

CM: Jude Bellingham

CM: Phil Foden

CAM: Raheem Sterling

ST: Ivan Toney

ST: Harry Kane

Retired cult hero Akinfenwa has opted for a backline that has never played together before, with a brand new centre-back pairing of Dier and Tomori.

“I think Tomori gets overlooked because he’s not in the Prem,” argues Akinfenwa.

This means there’s no place for Harry Maguire or John Stones in the XI, while Reece James also misses out at right-back as Alexander Arnold gets the nod.