England squad: Alfie Mawson ruled out of World Cup 2018 to add to Gareth Southgate's defensive dilemma

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James Olley15 May 2018

Alfie Mawson will miss out on a place in the England squad for this summer's World Cup Finals after undergoing knee surgery.

The 24-year-old had an operation after Swansea’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed on Sunday with a 2-1 home defeat to Stoke.

The defender was in contention for a place in Gareth Southgate’s 23-man squad having earned his first call-up in March for the friendly double-header against Netherlands and Italy, although he did not play in either game.

With Liverpool centre-back Joe Gomez unavailable after sustaining an ankle problem, Southgate has a dilemma in defence ahead of his official squad announcement tomorrow.

Phil Jones, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier are all virtually guaranteed a place but Southgate must decide whether to recall Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling or persevere with the relatively inexperienced Burnley defender James Tarkowski.

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