Ones to watch: Ruben Loftus-Cheek - England
Age: 22Club: ChelseaCaps: 6
An impressive season on loan at Crystal Palace earned Ruben Loftus Cheek a call up to the England squad. Ahead of last year's campaign, the Chelsea midfielder had yet to earn a first cap for the national team.
Having signed for Chelsea at the age of eight, Loftus-Cheek only has a handful of appearances for the Blues. While always highly-regarded at Stamford Bridge, a smorgasbord of international talent higher in the pecking order made the journey from the academy to the first-team less straight-forward.
Frank de Boer would take him to Selhurst Park, on loan for the 2017-18 campaign and, with a chance of regular Premier League football, he linked up with Eagles talisman Wilfried Zaha to prevent the club being relegated.
The Lewisham-born midfielder wouldn't have expected to play his way into the squad, but an impressive domestic season, combined with injuries to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana, provided him with his World Cup opportunity
Despite his inexperience, Loftus-Cheek's biggest strengths are his composure and decision making. He likes to pick up the ball and drive at defensive lines, using his physicality combined with a delicate touch to create opportunities for teammates.
Positionally, there is still work to do. At Crystal Palace he played in every position across the midfield, enjoying success both out wide and centrally, but his best position is yet to be decided.
While he almost certainly will not be a member of England's starting lineup in Russia, an injury or knock to Dele Alli or Jesse Lingard could provide Loftus-Cheek with a route into the first team, and a chance to make his mark on the World Cup