Asier Illarramendi (Real Madrid)
It’s understandable that Real Madrid’s Asier Illarramendi cannot make the Spain squad given the level of competition at holding midfield and the 23-year-old’s lack of playing time at the Santiago Bernabeu this season. But Illarra was signed in the summer after shining as the best player from Spain’s hugely talented under-21 group and clearly has a big future ahead of him. The deep-lying playmaker is exactly the type of player England is lacking but is arguably better than Jack Wilshere, who is raved about by fans and the media alike.