On-loan West Ham goalie Joe Hart has been told he will not be part of the party to the World cup in Russia even as England coach Gareth Southgate is set to announce his 23-man squad on Wednesday.
Southgate decided against taking Hart as his third choice goalkeeper behind Stoke City’s Jack Butland and Everton’s Jordan Pickford.
The development is a huge plus for Burnley’s uncapped keeper Nick Pope who now looks to be in prime position to be named in the squad which heads for Russia on Tuesday, June 12.
Hart was left out of West Ham’s starting XI by manager David Moyes for their final four games of the season, following their 4-1 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates in April.
Gary Neville thinks England manager Gareth Southgate should be concerned about the form of the goalkeepers he has to choose from for the World Cup in Russia.
The 31-year-old has been England’s first choice goalkeeper for the last three major tournaments and has 75 international caps.
Swansea’s Alfie Mawson will also not be included in Southgate’s squad for the World Cup after he underwent successful knee surgery on Monday keeping him out for between six weeks and two months. Jack Wilshire is equally likely to miss out of the party according to reports.
As part of the final phase of preparation before the world cup, the Three Lions will take Nigeria’s Super Eagles in a friendly on June 2nd at the Wembley Stadium. England will open their campaign in Russia on the 18th of June against one of African representatives Tunisia Volgograd Arena. Their next match will be against World cup debutants Panama followed by the last group stage tie against Belgium at the Killingrand Stadium.
If statistical permutations are anything to go by, England will win their matches against Tunisia and Panama but will lose the last group match against Belgium by a slim margin. 
The permutations indicate that the Three lions have 71% to 10% chance of defeating Tunisia,81% to 5% chance of defeating Panama but have only 32% chance of defeating Belgium and 29% chance of pulling a draw, while Belgium stand 39% chance of emerging victorious.