LONDON, May 16, 2018 (News Wires) - Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana missed out on England boss Gareth Southgate's 23-man World Cup squad as club team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold earned a first call-up for the finals in Russia. Gary Cahill returns in defence, and with goalkeeper Joe Hart absent as expected, the Chelsea defender is England's most experienced player with 58 caps. Lallana joins goalkeeper Tom Heaton, Lewis Cook, Jake Livermore and James Tarkowski on the stand-by list. Forward Danny Welbeck is rewarded for his form in Arsenal's run to the semi-finals of the Europa League, but 34-times capped team-mate Jack Wilshere misses out with young Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek included after impressing during a friendly against Germany last November. Loftus-Cheek, 22, has spent the season on loan at Crystal Palace and was pivotal in ensuring they preserved their Premier League status under former England manager Roy Hodgson - playing 27 times as Palace finished 11th in the table. Alexander-Arnold caps a dream season by earning a place in the squad after making his Liverpool debut in October 2016 and helping his team reach the Champions League final against Real Madrid on May 26. The uncapped 19-year-old right-back earns a place despite having yet to play for England in only his second season in the senior game. "The first call up for Trent Alexander-Arnold is well deserved. When we pick young players, it's not just because they are young, it's because their performances deserve it," said Southgate. "We've also had a couple of injuries with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Gomez, which is a huge blow for them personally and disappointing for us." U21 international Alexander-Arnold trained with England before the friendlies with Italy and Netherlands in March. He has made 32 appearances for Jurgen Klopp's side this season with Southgate admitting he was excited by the player's ability. Fabian Delph makes the cut despite winning the last of his nine caps against Spain in November 2015. But he has played 29 times for Manchester City this term, and gets the nods because of his versatility in being able to operate at full-back or midfield. Ashley Young is also named, and could win a starting spot as a left wing-back. Southgate explained the decision to omit 75-times capped goalkeeper Joe Hart and Ryan Bertrand, who loses out to Danny Rose. "Ryan and Joe have played a lot over the last two years so they're not decisions we took lightly. I could've had easier conversations by keeping them involved," he said.
