England interim manager, Gareth Southgate announced his first squad as national team manager on Sunday for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Malta and Slovenia.

The former Middlesbrough boss has temporarily taken over the Three Lions following the departure of Sam Allardyce last week, and one of his first duties was to announce a 23-man squad for the two qualifiers.

England host Malta at Wembley on Saturday before travelling to face Slovenia the following Tuesday, looking to build on their 1-0 success in Slovakia last month – Allardyce’s only game in charge.

Although Southgate has not had long to pick his squad, there will be some players who feel disappointed not to make the cut.

Here are FOUR players who may feel just like that…

Troy Deeney

Troy Deeney has been loosely linked with an England call-up for a few years now, especially given how easily he adapted to Premier League life when Watford won promotion in 2015.

The 28-year-old was an ever-present in the top-flight for the Hornets last season, netting 14 goals to comfortably keep the club in the Premier League.

He has also started this season well, scoring three goals in his last four matches, and probably feels a bit disappointed not get a call-up, especially given that England look a bit light in the striker’s department.

Harry Kane is injured and, although Wayne Rooney has been named as a forward in the squad, it seems unlikely that he’ll play there, leaving just Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy, and Marcus Rashford as England’s striking options.

Deeney has netted more than all three so far this season, and the fact that he’d offer something slightly different to England also makes it an even more surprising omission.

He’s a combative and physically strong centre-forward who can hold the ball up well and link the play better than the aforementioned three.

He would give England another option as the game progresses, but has been overlooked on this occasion.

Ross Barkley

Injuries to midfielders Adam Lallana and Danny Drinkwater appeared to have opened the door for Everton’s Ross Barkley, yet Southgate decided against picking the 22-year-old.

The Evertonian was omitted from Allardyce’s one and only squad for the game in Slovakia, despite making Roy Hodgson’s Euro 2016 squad.

We all know what Barkley can do. He’s shown it for both Everton and England in recent years.

He’s an extremely talented player who loves the ball at his feet and loves to take defenders on, he just needs a bit of experience and knowhow on the big stage.

Although he hasn’t made the greatest of starts to the season for Ronald Koeman’s Toffees, he perhaps deserved on opportunity in England’s upcoming qualifiers to really show what he can do.

Joel Ward

Perhaps the most surprising decision made by Southgate was recalling Stoke defender Glen Johnson, two years since his last England appearance.

The injury to Liverpool’s Nathaniel Clyne paved the way for a right-back to get an opportunity, but there wouldn’t be too many fans up and down the country who saw Johnson as the main candidate for such opportunity.

Crystal Palace’s Joel Ward, however, may have been.

The 26-year-old has been one of the stalwarts of the Eagles defence in recent seasons, and has long been linked with a call-up as a result of consistently solid performances.

He is a full-back that enjoys defending, but also looks to get forward and support the winger in front of him – he produced the cross for Christian Benteke to score at Everton on Friday night.

He certainly deserves a chance, and likely feels a bit aggrieved not to get into this squad.

Charlie Austin

Will Charlie Austin ever get a game for England?

The Southampton forward has been remarkably unfortunate in recent years not to get a chance in the national team, and his form in the last few weeks suggests that he has once again been a bit unlucky.

The former QPR and Burnley forward had netted five goals in four games prior to the Saints’ 0-0 draw at Leicester City on Sunday, scoring twice in both the Europa League and the Premier League, and once in the EFL Cup.

He got a call-up in May last year for the friendly against the Republic of Ireland and Euro 2016 qualifier in Slovenia, but did not feature in either match.

He has wrestled the starting berth from Irishman Shane Long as a result of his good form and, alongside the injury to Kane, this was perhaps as good a chance as any to get into the squad and showcase his talent on the international stage.

Consequently, Austin will likely be disappointed to get overlooked, but continuing to score goals in a good Southampton team will surely give him ample opportunities to prove his worth to Southgate in the future.