The first instalment of the famous F365 Euro 2024 England Ladder plays a load of guessing games

The England Ladder is dead, long live the England Ladder.

The World Cup is gone, and just like that we throw our attention forwards 18 months to the Euros and try to work out what the England squad might look like by then. It’s always impossibly hard – when we did our final World Cup ladder in September, Callum Wilson didn’t make the 50 which is the latest in a long line of times we’ve regretted our commitment to the Phil Neville bit – but this one especially so.

Call it getting our excuses in early if you like, but it’s tricky enough to do this when you’re trying to get inside the head of a manager you’ve spent six years getting the hang of. Now we’ve got to try and also factor in a) the percentage chance of Gareth Southgate staying on as England manager and b) who might take over if he does depart. Again, the Ladder is as always our best guess at what the England manager is thinking, which now includes trying to work out what we think his answer to the question “Should I carry on as England manager?” might be.

This list is going to be even wronger than usual in a few months, is what we’re saying here. But anyway, knock yourselves out…

1 (2) Declan Rice
Got a precious half-hour off against Wales once top spot in the group was all but assured but that was the only time Gareth Southgate felt comfortable not having Rice on the field. To be honest, even then we were a bit unsure about it. It’s not just how good Rice is, it’s how good Rice is playing alongside Jude Bellingham and it’s not just how good Rice is playing alongside Bellingham, it’s how utterly irreplaceable both of them now seem by any other midfield option at England’s disposal.

2 (5) Jude Bellingham
Which is why this absurd teenager leapfrogs some senior team-mates to take the number two spot in the inaugural Euro 2024 Ladder. Rice is 23 and Bellingham is 19; feels like the top two spots in the ladder could be sewn up for quite a while, doesn’t it? Probably until the seas rise and claim us all some time around 2029.

3 (1) Harry Kane
There was wild talk during the World Cup that Gareth Southgate should drop Kane and pick Callum Wilson. There is wild talk now that Kane, 29, should be on the “phase out” list. There remains nobody – not Wilson, not Ivan Toney, not Tammy Abraham, not etc. etc. etc. – remotely halfway capable of offering what Kane offers and this is not the set-up for some weak penalty miss banter. He never had much pace to lose anyway, reads the game better than most CMs and has all manner of clever, tricky little youngsters to do his running for him. England are better with Kane. That is unquestionably true today and will almost certainly still be true in 18 months’ time. We would hope and expect some sort of challenge by 2026, though, if we’re honest.

4 (3) Jordan Pickford
Might have done better with France’s opening goal? Maybe? Still feels like there’s some slightly harsh discourse around that, with the most conspicuous error remaining that of the referee who Southgate was far too nice to be rude about but we have no such qualms. There is right now no face we’d rather see in a tournament goal for England than Jordan Pickford’s angry little one after he’s been required to do literally any goalkeeping whatsoever. He’s done three major tournaments now, done admirably at them all, and is still only 28. There are no concerns either way here: either Pickford is in goal for England, which is fine, or somebody has done something remarkably good to displace him which is also fine. We can’t see who that somebody could be right now, if we’re honest.

5 (5) John Stones
Tis the season for all those fool’s errand “England Starting XI for the 2026 World Cup” features to hit the net (seriously, lads, it’s hard enough trying to pick a list of 50 for a tournament round the corner, trust us). While it is a literally impossible task – hats grudgingly off to any seer who had a 15-year-old Jude Bellingham as a nailed-on England starter after the last World Cup – we’re slightly surprised to see that so far pretty much everyone thinks England will have moved on from what will in 2026 be a 32-year-old John Stones. We’d be amazed if he isn’t still a first-choice starter for England in USA/Mexico/Canada and absolutely flabbergasted if he isn’t so in 18 months’ time, which is our immediate concern here. Not faultless, but he’s a class act and there seems no reason to imagine his game – one highly suited to international football – is about to go all to shit.

6 (12) Bukayo Saka
A significant mover after a superb World Cup. He’s gone from 17 to 12 to the top six in consecutive Ladders now and it’s not just the shift forward in focus that sends Saka soaring. Came into the World Cup as one of England’s many good options for those busy positions around Kane, comes out of the World Cup in clear possession of a starting shirt. Would be higher were it not for England’s embarrassment of riches in these – and only these – positions.

7 (11) Phil Foden
Forced his way into the side in Qatar and now in the rock-solid position of being first choice under a slightly suspicious Southgate and an even more likely first choice under literally anyone who might replace Southgate should he depart.

8 (8) Luke Shaw
The 2026 World Cup might be a question mark, but Shaw had a perfectly sound World Cup and despite being around for seemingly decades now is still only 27. Ben Chilwell has a lot of ground to make up to take his starting spot, and absolutely nobody is currently seriously challenging either for a squad place, hence Gareth not even bothering with a reserve left-back at all once Chilwell was ruled out.

9 (7) Reece James
We’re still pretty confident that a fully fit Reece James remains Southgate’s preferred option at both right-back and right wing-back despite Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker both predictably being absolutely fine in Qatar. The fact those two are now 32 is another factor in James’ favour as we move our focus 18 months further forward, and it’s not even his injury that causes him to drop a couple of places here; it’s the uncertainty over Southgate’s own future. A new manager could well rekindle the TAA v James debate/culture war.

10 (15) Harry Maguire
We’ll worry if we’re still saying this in two years’ time but for now we’re just about okay with thinking Maguire is the likeliest partner for Stones at the next major tournament.

11 (10) Mason Mount
Didn’t have a great World Cup but there’s a reason why Southgate and literally every club manager he’s had have loved him. In the 4-3-3 with which England ended the tournament he looks more likely to usurp Jordan Henderson in the middle three rather than any of the more forward positions, but we kind of like that. We would not be at all afeared if a Rice-Mount-Bellingham engine room is England’s medium-term midfield future.

12 (19) Ben Chilwell
England went into a World Cup quarter-final with Kieran Trippier as their first reserve left-back. Please get and remain fit, Ben. Cheers.

13 (14) Jack Grealish
The Clamour is no more, but Grealish appears to have settled into a role that could be his for a good few years yet: coming off the bench to run at tired defenders, twisting blood and winning free-kicks for the Big Lads to attack. The fact he is 27 feels both improbably young for someone who’s been around for as long as Grealish yet also impossibly old for someone who remains an impishly child-like figure.

14 (6) Raheem Sterling
The circumstances that took him away from Qatar were horrible, yet the harsh truth is that on the field he wasn’t particularly missed. His rapport with Kane has brought some fine moments for England over the last six years or so and he has survived plenty of calls for his place to go to some shiny bright new thing. But Sterling at 28 looks closer to the end of his time as an assured England starter than Kane at 29 and not just because of the far greater number of options available to England in his position. Could slide further still if his Chelsea form doesn’t improve.

15 (13) Kyle Walker
One of only four 30-plus outfield players in the World Cup squad and one whose time as a starter should surely be nearing an end. But we’ve written him off plenty of times before and been wrong every time, and for as long as Walker maintains that absurd pace he remains a huge asset to the squad as well as offering formation-changing flexibility. England took two 32-year-old right-backs to Qatar and we’re pretty confident about which one has the greatest chance of another big tournament trip. Of course, with 32-year-olds there is always the possibility that they take matters into their own hands and if Walker were to do so he would walk – or more likely run very, very fast knowing him – away having spent his last game keeping Kylian Mbappe firmly under wraps. England careers have had worse endings.

16 (17) Jordan Henderson
We reckon he’s got one more tournament in him before he replaces Phil Neville at number 50. Actually ended the World Cup with a clearer and brighter on-field future in this squad than he began it, and his leadership role on and off the pitch within this group is obvious and shouldn’t be underestimated. If he were a certain starter, he’d be captain. We’re very sure Southgate won’t bin him off, and pretty sure a new manager wouldn’t want to cast everything Henderson offers aside either.

17 (25) Marcus Rashford
Three goals made Rashford a highly effective impact player in his limited chances in Qatar and he’s now firmly re-established in that group of players to play the wide-forward roles as either starters or just as importantly in the five-sub era from the bench.

18 (16) Aaron Ramsdale
Is he England’s second or third-choice keeper? Not quite sure, but for now he’s definitely one of the two.

19 (21) Nick Pope
Is he England’s second or third-choice keeper? Not quite sure, but for now he’s definitely one of the two.

20 (9) Eric Dier
The evidence from Qatar suggests Dier is first reserve centre-back and – assuming Southgate stays on – we’ll need to see some concrete evidence to convince us anything has changed. In an ideal world Dier would be phased out now – it already happened once before he managed to phase himself back in again, the scamp – but we don’t live in an ideal world. There are lots of other centre-backs around but none of them fill us with huge confidence. None of us have to be entirely happy about it, but for now we reckon we agree with Gareth on this one.

21 (22) Kalvin Phillips
Feels like he really should be higher on this list having done absolutely nothing wrong at all for England and fallen into the 20s only for injury reasons. But his path to the first XI is now complicated; he’s not dislodging Rice or Bellingham in a two and is in a fight with both Henderson and you’d imagine Mount for a spot in a three. Another one as well who is just that bit older than you realise at 27.

22 (18) Kieran Trippier
Drops out of the top 26 if Southgate goes, we reckon. Because surely no other manager is picking four right-backs like that crazy man likes to do. Has never let England down and done plenty of dirty work at left-back without a grumble but doesn’t have an obvious place in the side if Southgate stays and moves decisively away from the back three and there are younger and, brutal as it is, better right-backs available to England if Southgate goes and a less right-back-fixated manager takes over.

23 (30) Trent Alexander-Arnold
He may only be Southgate’s fourth-choice right-back, but he’s unlikely to be that low in any other manager’s reckoning and two of the three above him will be 34 before the Euros kick off.

24 (RE) Callum Wilson
The back-up to ageing, creaking 29-year-old Harry Kane is… 30-year-old fan of injuries Callum Wilson. He did absolutely fine at the World Cup in his brief moments and so for now there is no reason to imagine he doesn’t remain the de facto Kane understudy. But I think we’d all sleep more soundly if there was an obvious Kane replacement somewhere rather than a whole gaggle of understudies.

25 (35) Conor Gallagher
One of six unused members of England’s World Cup squad, two of whom were spare goalkeepers, one of whom was injured for half the tournament and one of whom went home. The other two were both called Conor, but we think that’s a coincidence. England have great quality but not great depth in midfield, and Gallagher is an enterprising ball-playing runner and by all accounts a good sort. If England are sticking with the midfield three they settled on in Qatar then there appears to be a squad spot for Gallagher.

26 (20) Conor Coady
A possible significant faller if Southgate does depart, and while Coady has done a decent job of proving he can play in a two he does have more squad spots available to him if they’re at least considering a three. We like Coady a lot, but will another manager want a player in his squad whose primary roles appear to be bringing the Uno and making sure everyone has their boarding passes?

27 (36) James Maddison
We have found it childishly funny to watch the entire English football punditocracy decide in their minds that Southgate played them by picking Maddison for the World Cup. The fact he was injured and that England’s attacking players all played really rather well clearly couldn’t possibly be the reason Maddison wasn’t required. It was all just a ruse to make Jamie O’Hara look daft. That definitely sounds like the way Southgate runs things. We’re not quite sure what the banter was with Gallagher, but we assume there must have been one. All a bit of a pisser for Maddison, though, for whom this was all pretty cruel. We’d imagine he was just coming to terms with the fact that England wasn’t going to happen for him, and then suddenly he’s at the World Cup, but unable to get on the pitch. To make it worse, we really aren’t sure he gets another chance under Southgate or anyone else.

28 (24) Marc Guehi
We had him inside the 26-man World Cup squad as recently as September but Gareth Southgate went with Ben White in the end. We don’t know exactly what went on with White in Qatar, but our hunch is that Guehi is ahead of the Arsenal man again for now.

29 (RE) Eddie Nketiah
This might be too high, but the incumbent strikers in the squad are 29 and 30. Nketiah is a striker for the current Premier League leaders with an elite England age-group goalscoring record. And Gabriel Jesus’ injury could hand Nketiah an extended run in a team that plays an awful lot of very lovely attacking football. It’s not hard to see how a bit of chatter develops behind Eddie.

30 (34) Harvey Elliott
It’s the old Big Six + Position Where England’s Depth Ain’t Great equation again. Fully expect him to at least get a chance before the Euros.

31 (29) Fikayo Tomori
The theory goes that a couple of high-profile clangers in the Champions League against Chelsea did for Tomori’s World Cup chances. At the very least then he has the chance to make amends of some kind with a couple of high-profile Champions League games against Tottenham. It remains a position where some sort of evolution is necessary. Neither Maguire nor Dier can be long-term options and while we think Stones is going to be around for slightly longer it’s still probably only one more World Cup cycle.

32 (27) Ben White
Could be in the top 20 or off the list altogether. We’ll know more in due course, presumably.

33 (46) Joe Gomez
If he’s getting regular games for Liverpool and if he’s performing then he has to have a chance. Those are a couple of hefty ‘ifs’ to overcome, though.

34 (23) Tammy Abraham
“…we expect him to stay ahead of Ivan Toney as long as he does not entirely stop scoring for Roma.” Promptly entirely stopped scoring for Roma and at World Cup time was behind not only Toney but also actual World Cup selection Wilson. Playing overseas shouldn’t matter, but if you do have a run of bad form you are very quickly out of sight and out of mind.

35 (31) Jarrod Bowen
His chance may have gone, you fear. It really was not a well-timed drop in form for a player operating in a position where England are absolutely stacked.

36 (28) Dean Henderson
Fourth choice until he isn’t. His problem is that Pickford is firmly established as first choice and the other two keepers ahead of him are first choice at two teams in the top three of the Premier League. This is not the usual challenge facing a fourth-choice England keeper.

37 (38) James Tarkowski
Playing well and could be a short-term option in a position where England have loads of not especially convincing options. A recall doesn’t seem entirely absurd in any case, even if it’s over three years since his last call-up.

38 (39) Ryan Sessegnon
Needs England to be playing a back three, you’d imagine. He’s not getting in the squad as a left-back or a left-winger but is playing a lot of minutes for a Big Six club and possesses a beguiling if inconsistently utilised skillset.

39 (NE) Max Kilman
It does feel like there’s an opportunity for a new centre-back to stake a claim here, and Kilman finds himself with the chance to work under an elite coach at a Wolves team that generally defends pretty well. Described as “very much on our radar” by Southgate earlier this year, and is left-footed which is also of value.

40 (NE) Trevoh Chalobah
Or what about an English centre-back trusted by England manager contenders Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter in the Champions League? That should count for something, surely?

41 (38) Ivan Toney
42 (NE) Jacob Ramsey
43 (33) Jadon Sancho
44 (26) James Ward-Prowse
45 (47) Eberechi Eze
46 (43) Ollie Watkins
47 (44) James Justin
48 (42) Dominic Calvert-Lewin
49 (48) Tyrick Mitchell
50 (50) Phil Neville