World Cup stories: England's past World Cup 'wildcards'

So, with 79 days left before the start of the finals, could the likes of James Garner, Harvey Barnes or Dominic Calvert-Lewin join this list of previous players who have been eyebrow-raising picks in England's World Cup squads of yesteryear? 

• Read next I 80 days -  Chris Waddle names his pick for England's number ten position

Geoff Hurst - 1966

Geoff Hurst's life changed forever after the 1966 World Cup, but it all could have been so different for the England hero because he famously went to the tournament as a back-up option for Alf Ramsey's side. 

The West Ham striker had only won 4 caps going into the finals and was seen as an option off the bench behind the Three Lions' first-choice forward, Jimmy Greaves. 

Greaves started all three group games, but then suffered an injury against France that ruled him out for the rest of the competition. 

In stepped Hurst, who scored the winner in the quarter-final victory against Uruguay before his moment at Wembley when he became the first player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final and etched his name into footballing history. 

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Steve Bull and David Platt - 1990 

Bobby Robson's squad for the 1990 World Cup was a strong mix of established names like Gary Lineker and Terry Butcher, mixed with the mercurial young talent of Paul Gascoigne, but there were also inclusions for two players who at the start of their international careers.

Platt had only five caps under his belt before heading to the tournament and was seen as a squad player for Robson in a midfield expected to be led by Bryan Robson and Steve McMahon. However, Robson's injury in the first game presented an opportunity for the young Aston Villa man. 

He made cameos in the next three games for England, before making his mark on the tournament with a wonder volley against Belgium. Platt then started both the quarter-final and semi-final, with his displays earning him a move to Serie A. 

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As for Bull, his inclusion was even more shocking, given that at the time he was playing in the third tier with Wolves. He made a goalscoring debut for England in 1989 and his exploits for the Midlanders saw him picked over top flight names such as Alan Smith, Kerry Dixon and Tony Cottee. 

He played three games at Italia '90, including a start against Egypt, but failed to find the net and his international career ended that October. 

Trevor Sinclair - 2002 

Sinclair was a late call-up to the World Cup squad of 2002, as a replacement for the injured Danny Murphy, after Murphy had already been deputising for Owen Hargreaves, who was also sidelined. 

However, despite being a third-choice pick for Sven Goran Eriksson and having only won four caps, he was one of the Three Lions' best performers in Japan and South Korea. 

Filling in on the team's 'problem left-flank', the West Ham winger played four games in the Far East, including starting in the quarter-final defeat to Brazil. 

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Theo Walcott - 2006 

Perhaps the poster boy for wildcard picks, Sven Goran Eriksson stunned the nation when he picked 17-year-old Theo Walcott for his England squad to go to the World Cup in Germany, despite the teenager never playing a Premier League game. 

Signed by Arsenal in January, he'd yet to wear the Gunners shirt, but was the shock inclusion in the final squad and picked ahead of 18-goal Darren Bent and Jermain Defoe. 

Walcott won his first cap in the pre-tournament friendlies, but didn't play a minute at the finals, making the decision to take him and reduce England's forward picks to just three, all the more baffling. 

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Trent Alexander-Arnold - 2018

There always seems to be a narrative around Trent Alexander-Arnold's England career, and it started from the very beginning of his international story. 

Gareth Southgate was known for giving opportunities to players, especially during his early days as England boss, and his surprise pick for this first World Cup squad was a place for the Liverpool teenager. 

Alexander-Arnold had only just broken through to the Liverpool first-team at this stage, but went to Russia as part of a party that got all the way to the semi-finals. 

He only played one game, against Belgium, becoming only the fourth teenager to start a match for England at a World Cup. 

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