It's official: football won't be coming home this summer as England crashed out of the 2026 World Cup with a disappointing defeat against Argentina. That loss should signal the end of some players' international careers.
Thomas Tuchel's 26-man squad raised plenty of eyebrows as the German left out the likes of Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Some names also weren't expected to make the cut, and those gambles didn't pay off ultimately.
Now that there's only a third-place playoff against France to come, we've decided to take a look at the four England players who should be moved past as the Three Lions look towards Euro 2028.
Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson (England)IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Brett Davis
If you'd asked Roy Keane, there was little justification in selecting Jordan Henderson for this summer's competition outside of the Brentford man being a 'cheerleader'. While that's not entirely fair, and the ex-Liverpool captain did add valuable experience off the pitch, he was never going to contribute on it.
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The fact that the 36-year-old's biggest moment at the tournament was the freak injury he suffered after the win against Mexico says it all. Henderson played just six minutes in the 2-0 win over Panama and didn't touch the pitch again. It might be time to call it a day internationally so the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton can shine.
Dan Burn
Dan Burn (England)REUTERS/Raquel Cunha
Another who didn't necessarily do anything wrong in America this summer, Dan Burn isn't going to be the future of English football. He'll be 36 by the time Euro 2028 starts, so it makes little sense to involve him in the qualification campaign.
His spot in the squad could go to a younger defender who will see more minutes. His experience and heroic cameos against Mexico and Norway won't be forgotten, but Burn's England career should really end on 11 caps.
Trevoh Chalobah
Trevoh Chalobah (England)REUTERS/Mike Segar
Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah was called up to replace the injured Tino Livramento just days before England's first game. While he brings versatility, there are a plethora of better options the Three Lions can call on at centre-back or right-back.
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He was ultimately there to make up the numbers but it won't be long until Chalobah falls further down the pecking order unless he drastically improves his club form. Even his Stamford Bridge teammate Levi Colwill is a strong contender to move ahead of the 27-year-old in Tuchel's plans.
Ivan Toney
Ivan Toney (England)IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Maria Lysaker
It's clear to everyone that Tuchel had little faith in his back-up strikers. Harry Kane played almost every single minute of the competition and was never going to lose his place to Ivan Toney. The German coach wasn't expected to take the Al-Ahli forward, but shocked everyone by including him due to his unique skillset and penalty-taking abilities.
Toney is ultimately out of sight while playing in Saudi Arabia and you'd like to think some younger forwards will kick on in the coming months and years. If he has never been a regular in the prime years of his career, it's evident that Toney simply isn't fancied at international level.