A list of the most shocking players that were called into the England squad for an international tournament.
10. Steve Howey – Euro ’96
Howey’s inclusion into the Euro ’96 squad was nothing short of miraculous considering who he had to beat to be named in the squad.
The likes of Aston Villa defender Ugo Ehiogu and Liverpool’s Neil Ruddock had been overlooked and Howey didn’t even threaten the first team with his presence. He went on to win four England caps over the course of his career, but never came close to being a starter for his country at a major tournament again.
9. Carlton Palmer – Euro ’92
Palmer’s inclusion in the squad to travel to Sweden for the European Championships in 1992 was one of Graham Taylor’s more maligned decisions and what’s more amazing is that he failed to see the error of his ways and used him heavily during the failed USA 94 campaign.
Palmer amassed 18 caps in total for his country and was a regular player in the side that finished bottom of their group in Scandinavia that year.
8. Ian Walker – Euro ’04
There was an apparent shortage of English goalkeepers in 2004 as former Spurs goalkeeper Ian Walker bafflingly found himself in the squad to head to Portugal.
During his days at Tottenham he had been looked upon as a serious contender for the number one spot in future years, but by the time this tournament rolled by he was at Leicester City and well past his best, and only a few months before had been confronted by an angry Foxes fan during a game where he had conceded four goals to local rivals Aston Villa.
7. Jermaine Jenas – World Cup 2006
It’s sometimes amazing to think that at one point Jenas was a genuine hope for the future of England’s midfield, but a good season at Newcastle United saw him included in Sven Goran Eriksson’s plans for the World Cup in Germany.
In 2006, though, England’s latest ‘golden generation’ were all at the height of their powers and by this point it was obvious that Jenas was never going to be anything more than a squad player. Those days seem a long time ago now.
6. Trevor Sinclair – World Cup 2002
Sinclair wasn’t actually supposed to get anywhere near the first team in Japan and Korea, but first he filled in for the injured Danny Murphy, who had to stay behind, and then he was to replace Owen Hargreaves when he picked up an injury of his own (surprise, surprise) and then went on to win four of his twelve caps in the tournament.
Already 29 by the time of the tournament, he actually did a solid job of filling in on England’s ‘problem left hand side’ and returned home to wide acclaim. However, after that, and a move to Manchester City, his career began to wind down and he gradually slipped out of the picture altogether.
5. Ledley King – Euro 2004
It may not seem like much of a surprise now, knowing what he was capable of and what he went of to achieve, but at the time his inclusion to deputise for the injured John Terry took many fans and critics by surprise as his inexperience at international level surely called for someone else to have taken his place.
Wes Brown and Phil Neville were right to have felt aggrieved, but King performed admirably against France in the opening game and even filled in in midfield against Croatia. He would go on to collect 21 caps for his country , but injury robbed him of more.
4. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – Euro 2012
Only 18 at the time of the tournament, there was no doubt that ‘the ox’ would go on to be a genuine talent in the game, but by that point he had only made his international debut just a few weeks prior in a warm up game against Norway. He followed that up with a substitute appearance against Belgium in the team’s final warm up clash, and there was no doubt that he was painfully inexperienced.
However, new boss Roy Hodgson had seen enough to start him against France in opening game.
3. Steve Bull – Italia ’90
Fresh from bagging the old Third Division title in 1989, the ‘Tipton Terrier’ suddenly found himself with and England shirt on his back and a ticket to Italy for the World Cup that year.
He managed to score on his international debut against Scotland and even went on to score five goals in 13 appearances, but sadly he could never become a regular first choice starter for his country despite banging them in regularly for Wolverhampton Wanderers. 
2. Stephen Warnock – World Cup 2010
Warnock was never a bad player, he was solid and dependable at Blackburn, and enjoyed a solid debut season with Aston Villa, but his inclusion in the squad to travel to South Africa was most surprising.
Travelling as Ashley Cole’s deputy, he was deemed as a better option that Everton’s Leighton Baines, who is now beginning to overtake Cole as the side’s first choice left-back. One of Fabio Capello’s many blunders during his time in charge.
1. Theo Walcott – World Cup 2006
When fit Walcott is one of the first names on the Three Lions team sheet, but back in 2006 he was just a 17-year-old kid who had yet to play a game for new club Arsenal.
His inclusion divided opinions all over the country, with one half seeing him as a passenger, taking up a spot that someone else had earned, whilst others saw him as a wildcard, an unknown quantity who could provide a spark when the chips are down.
Sadly, he proved to be the former, and five years later he has still yet to make an appearance at a World Cup.