Thomas Tuchel has submitted the provisional squad for England ahead of the World Cup, with Luke Shaw, Welbeck and Alex Scott understood to be among the players
Real Madrid defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is also believed to have been named on the preliminary list submitted before Fifa’s deadline on Monday night.
World football’s governing body allowed nations competing at the tournament to provide a long list containing up to 55 players ahead of the competition, which begins on 11 June in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Tuchel must now reduce that group to a final 26-man squad before England’s official selection is announced by the Football Association on Friday, 22 May.
The FA has not publicly confirmed the names included in the provisional squad.
The inclusion of several players omitted from Tuchel’s most recent squad has raised questions over the final make-up of England’s travelling party.
Alexander-Arnold, Shaw, Welbeck and Scott were all absent from the squad selected for recent friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, but each remains in contention for a place at the World Cup.
Particular attention is likely to focus on Alexander-Arnold’s situation, with England currently facing uncertainty in the right-back position because of fitness concerns affecting several players.
The former Liverpool defender had appeared to be slipping down the pecking order under Tuchel. In previous selections, the England manager favoured Chelsea defender Reece James, Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento and Arsenal’s Ben White in that role.
Tuchel also indicated last year that Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarrell Quansah, whose preferred position is at centre-back, was ahead of Alexander-Arnold in the competition for a right-back place.
However, circumstances may now have shifted.
White is considered a significant doubt for the World Cup after sustaining a knee injury during Arsenal’s victory over West Ham on Sunday. Livramento is also unavailable at present, although there remains optimism that the Newcastle defender could recover in time for the tournament.
James, meanwhile, has only recently returned from injury after another spell on the sidelines.
Those developments may improve Alexander-Arnold’s prospects of securing a place in Tuchel’s final squad despite having previously faced a difficult route back into the England set-up.
Elsewhere, Shaw could be in line for an England return after an extended absence from international football.
The Manchester United left-back has not featured for his country since England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final, with injuries largely responsible for his absence.
Despite those setbacks, Shaw has regained regular playing time at club level this season. The 34-cap defender has made 36 appearances for Manchester United during the current campaign.
Welbeck’s possible inclusion follows an impressive season with Brighton, where the experienced forward has scored 14 goals under manager Fabian Hurzeler.
Although he has yet to feature in a Tuchel squad, his club form appears to have kept him in consideration for the World Cup.
Midfielder Alex Scott is also reportedly part of the provisional group. The Bournemouth player received his first senior England call-up in November but did not make the squad for the matches against Uruguay and Japan.
Tuchel now faces several major selection decisions before confirming the final 26 players who will attempt to lead England’s challenge at the World Cup next month.
