The Debate: Who should be England's wildcard pick for the 2018 World Cup?

Ahead of the announcement for England's provisional squad on Wednesday, the WhoScored.com team debate who should be Gareth Southgate's wildcard pick at the 2018 World Cup...

Josh Wright - Trent Alexander-Arnold 

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been a revelation for Liverpool this season and should start England's World Cup group opener against Tunisa next month. The 19-year-old's inexperience has shown on the odd occasion but on the whole the versatile teenager has enjoyed a breathtaking breakout year.  

Gareth Southgate looks set to use Kyle Walker as one of his three centre-back's in Russia, therefore opening up a space at right wing-back for Alexander-Arnold to fill. Tottenham's Kieran Trippier is favourite to get the nod, but Southgate should be bold and turn to Alexander-Arnold's exuberance.  

It's not even a foregone conclusion that Alexander-Arnold will make Southgate's squad, but it would be criminal if the teen isn't in Russia this summer. While demonstrating an ability to get up and down the touchline, Alexander-Arnold's standout trait this season has been his unbelievable range of passing.  

People will question whether it would be too much of a risk to give Alexander-Arnold his England bow in a major tournament, but he will be preparing for Russia by marking Cristiano Ronaldo in a Champions League final. Preparation doesn't come much better than that, in my opinion. 

Ben McAleer - Ryan Sessegnon 

Fresh from his man of the match performance in Fulham’s 2-0 win over Derby to secure a spot in the Championship playoff final, and in the process, guarantee the Cottagers a place at Wembley for the first time in 43 years, Ryan Sessegnon could continue his impressive rise to prominence with a wildcard England call-up on Wednesday. 

The teenager has excelled for Fulham this season as a more advanced left winger, but there is certainly a role for Sessegnon in the squad, particularly if Gareth Southgate implements a three-man defence. An attacking wing-back would be key in this instance and given Southgate’s lack of natural options, in-form options in the position, Sessegnon could be the vital piece in the jigsaw. 

16 goals and seven assists is a fine return for the 17-year-old and helped exhibit his attacking capabilities and as something of an unknown quality, he could prove to be England’s secret weapon in Russia. That being said, Southgate would be wary of putting so much pressure on a player so young, yet Sessegnon has overcome every possible hurdle to play a central role in Fulham’s promotion push. 

It would be a risk to call upon a player so young and inexperienced at the World Cup, and with just one U21 cap to his name, Southgate’s decision to call upon Sessegnon would be a risk. That being said, he has done enough in a gruelling Championship campaign to suggest he warrants a look in as a Three Lions wildcard this summer.

Martin Laurence - Jack Grealish

I appreciate that this is the wildest of wildcards here, but Jack Grealish has been in superb form for Aston Villa since the turn of the year and talismanic in their push for promotion from the Championship. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain injured and Adam Lallana nowhere near full fitness, Southgate's options in terms of players that can relieve pressure by carrying the ball in midfield are relatively slim.

While he may be plying his trade outside of the top-flight, the 22-year-old has been a cut above the vast majority of his opponents this season, and he has a very rare ability when it comes to English players. The timing and weight of his passes are exceptional and a return of six assists doesn't do justice to his influence in the final third for Steve Bruce's side.

He's developed enough physically to compete at the top level now, with his stamina and work rate improving dramatically, and for a player that takes risks with his passing and dribbling he seldom loses possession before more often than not being fouled. While a WhoScored.com rating of 7.30 is impressive if unspectacular, that figure jumps to 7.62 when excluding eight substitute appearances and is a more accurate reflection of his consistently excellent performances for a matter of months now.