Arsenal star Wilshere handed chance to earn World Cup spot along with Bournemouth midfielder Cook and Burnley duo Tarkowski and Nick Pope
JACK WILSHERE is back in the England squad for the first time in 18 months - but Gary Cahill has been axed by boss Gareth Southgate.
Arsenal star Wilshere has been in the international wilderness since 2016 as a mixture of injuries and poor form kept him out of Southgate's plans.
But the 26-year-old has been included in the squad for this month's friendlies against Holland and Italy as he is handed the chance to be on the plane to the World Cup.
Yet the news is not so good for Three Lions stalwart Cahill, who has paid the price for his dismal form with Chelsea by being left out of the 27-man squad.
And with these two matches being the last before Southgate names his squad for Russia, it casts a major doubt over the defender's hopes of making the World Cup.
Instead he has drafted in the uncapped pair of Alfie Mawson of Swansea and Burnley's James Tarkowski for the crucial final games before decision time.
Southgate said: "Tarkowski & Mawson are players you want to look at for now and beyond the summer.
"Want to see Dier in back three, too. It's a very difficult call because Gary has played a lot of qualifiers and is a great guy"
Southgate did keep faith with Joe Hart in goal, with his recall to the West Ham line-up last week coming at just the perfect time.
But he has also drafted in Burnley's in-form keeper Nick Pope into his party - one of four uncapped players included.
Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (West Ham), Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley)
Defenders: Kyle Walker, John Stones (Manchester City), Harry Maguire (Leicester), Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), James Tarkowski (Burnley), Ryan Bertrand (Southampton), Ashley Young (Manchester United), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Alfie Mawson (Swansea)
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Dele Alli (both Tottenham Hotspur), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Lewis Cook (Bournemouth), Adam Lallana, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (all Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal), Jake Livermore (West Brom)
Forwards: Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)
Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook, who captained the under-20s to World Cup glory last year, has been called up.
Pope's Burnley teammate Tarkowski and Mawson are the other two new faces in what looks an in-experienced squad.
Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck has been given the nod, despite struggling to hold down a regular starting role with the Gunners in recent months.
ANOTHER World Cup is around the corner and this is what it has come to.
Sure, it is a great day for Alfie Mawson, Nick Pope, Lewis Cook and James Tarkowski to be included in an England squad.
For the country? Not so much.
Even Gareth Southgate admitted he is struggling to put together a decent group of players for prestige friendlies with Holland and Italy.
It is his last proper look at England’s players before a couple of farewell matches before he takes his 23 to Russia.
Do not get your hopes up.
The best countries - Germany, for example - pack their squads full of players with years of Champions League experience.
Southgate does not have that luxury.
Some of this lot barely make the starting elevens for their Premier League clubs.
The prestige, the honour and the sheen that comes with being an England player has been eroded.
People batter the Golden Generation because they could not find a way past a World Cup or European Championship quarter-final.
Well, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ledley King and Sol Campbell are making it look like we were spoiled back at the 2006 World Cup.
Mawson, Pope, Cook and Tarkowski are all having decent seasons with their clubs, but the call from the country is something else.
It should be the pinnacle, the ultimate honour for an Englishman.
Instead, sooner or later, everybody gets an England cap these days.
