Townsend names England starting for World Cup opener; out of Alexander-Arnold

Andros Townsend has revealed who he would pick for England's first game of the upcoming World Cup, and he has admitted that Gareth Southgate has some tough calls to make.

The tournament is due to get underway in exactly two months with hosts Qatar taking on Ecuador. England will then begin their campaign the following day against Iran before facing the United States and Wales in their other Group B fixtures.

Townsend was put on the spot by talkSPORT on Tuesday morning as he was asked who he would select for England's first match if he was in charge. Unsurprisingly, Townsend stood by his Everton team-mate Jordan Pickford to retain his position as England's No 1 despite his recent injury setback.

'In goal, no doubt, although the media pretend that there's better options out there, Jordan Pickford,' Townsend said.

The Toffees winger then explained that he would go with a 3-4-3 formation, naming Chelsea duo Reece James and Ben Chilwell as his wing-backs, with Kyle Walker, John Stones and Harry Maguire making up the back three.

Townsend's picks may surprise some as he conceded that Maguire and Chilwell have both struggled for game time this season, and he admitted that the latter's spot in the side is 'up for grabs', but he still opted to stick with them.

His decision to choose James over Trent Alexander-Arnold may also cause some debate, but Townsend edged towards the former after the Liverpool defender's indifferent start to the campaign.

Moving into midfield, Townsend claimed that Declan Rice was a certain starter, but was hesitant to name the West Ham man's partner in the centre of the park.

He eventually settled on Jude Bellingham, stating that the teenager ought to be considered 'slightly' ahead of Mason Mount in the pecking order.

Bellingham has enjoyed a strong start to the season in Germany, scoring in both of Borussia Dortmund's Champions League matches to date.

Mount has become a trusted member of Southgate's first team, but is yet to find the net this term, and would have to settle for a place on the bench if Townsend had his way.

Townsend rounded off his team by picking England regulars Raheem Sterling and captain Harry Kane, before saying he would 'just' go for Phil Foden over Bukayo Saka.

Should Southgate decide to go with Townsend's XI, he would be selecting eight of the same players who started England's first game at last year's Euros against Croatia, with James, Chilwell and Bellingham coming in for Tyrone Mings, Kieran Trippier and Kalvin Phillips.