Rio Ferdinand names his wild England XI for 2022 World Cup

How should England line up at the 2022 World Cup?

While there are still eight months to go until football’s biggest tournament gets underway in Qatar, fans are already imagining how their England’s squad and XI should shape up for the big stage.

Besides, give or take the odd player who might either flop or thrive over the next half-season, we’ve got plenty of evidence to get a good idea of how the majority of Gareth Southgate’s outfit will look.

However, it’s one thing to name a squad, it’s another thing to pick a starting XI and an entirely different thing to conjure up an exact tactical model with the line-up that you think will bring football home.

The moral of the story is that it’s an incredibly hard thing to do, but one that’s always fascinating to work through nonetheless as hype for the World Cup builds up towards a crescendo.

And none other than former England and Manchester United hero Rio Ferdinand has been one brave figure to nail their colours to the mast with a Three Lions XI that, erm, we really weren’t expecting.

That’s because the 43-year-old went seriously off piste when he was asked how his England side would line up right this second if they were to go to the World Cup with no less than three right-backs starting.

Speaking on the latest episode of Vibe with Five this week, Ferdinand has raised eyebrows for picking an England XI where Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker and Reece James are all on the team sheet.

Ferdinand, who had already given his backing for Jordan Pickford between the sticks, broke down his line-up by explaining: “I’m gonna go three at the back as I think that’s our best chance.

“[Harry] Maguire on the left, Kyle Walker central and Reece James on the right. Trent [Alexander-Arnold]