Gareth Southgate drops Marcus Rashford from England squad and calls up four Arsenal stars

Gareth Southgate has dropped Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford from his latest England squad, while four Arsenal players have been called up.

The Three Lions play friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast later this month as part of their preparation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The World Cup starts in just over eight months and Southgate will see the upcoming friendlies, both to be played at Wembley Stadium, as ideal preparation for the tournament.

Southgate, who signed a contract extension with England in November, has shuffled the pack for his latest squad as he begins the process of finalising his plans for the World Cup.

Despite their long wait for a major trophy, England will be one of the favourites to win the World Cup after reaching the Euro 2020 final last summer and the World Cup semi-finals in 2018.

Rashford, who missed a penalty in England’s Euro 2020 final defeat, has been omitted from Southgate’s latest squad after a difficult period for Manchester United.

Goalkeepers:  Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace, loan from Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham United), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)

Forwards: Tammy Abraham (AS Roma), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Emile Smith